Beyond the Second Star
by JRCash
Summary: (Takes place after "Second Star to the Left"). Leia and Han return from their mission on Bakura to be faced with new challenges in their relationship. My take on Han and Leia's wedding and events surrounding their marriage. Rating because of content in certain chapters (SMUT/NSFW: chapters 3, 6 and 12/ language alert throughout). Chapter 16 completes the story.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own these characters, I just make them do stuff. I do not profit from this in any way, shape or form._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _I felt like Han and Leia needed a little fluffy moment after everything I put them thru so far._

 _Feedback and reviews always welcome, they make me smile!_

Leia had recovered from her blaster wound she received on Bakura remarkably well. Han had tended over Leia for the days that followed their return to the base, always making sure she wasn't overdoing it and getting plenty of rest. There were moments that Leia grew annoyed at his constant attention to her, but she had promised him that she would allow him to care for her. She felt at first she was a child again, back in the Alderaanian palace, constantly being monitored and waited upon, something she hated, her independent spirit always wanting to care for herself. She had to remind herself that Han wasn't trying to hamper her, but that he genuinely cared for her and her well being.

As her strength returned, she became restless with lack of work to do. She began pacing the thru the Falcon, tidying up closets and storage spaces that hadn't been touched in years. Han noticed her growing annoyance at the fact Mon had not yet assigned anything to her. A few days prior, they had both attended de-briefings and meetings about what had happened on Bakura, Leia quickly finishing the reports in a matter of hours upon returning to the ship, relieving her boredom temporarily. She had expected to be back to work after completing the reports, but nothing more came her way, days passing as she returned to organizing things around the Falcon, her restlessness growing more so than ever. Now that Leia had healed, Han had returned to making repairs to the Falcon, using the down time to finally get to adjustments and repairs on the ship he had put off for too long.

Leia stood from the floor in the bunk on the Falcon. She had been kneeling in front of a row of drawers, refolding clothes for the third time this morning. Her comm buzzed on the table. She walked to pick it up and answer, Mon's voice coming over it.

"Princess Leia, I have some good news for you. We have received word from troops stationed on Chandrila that the Imperial blockade has fallen and any Imperial control left on the planet has dissipated" a tone of excitement in her voice as Mon spoke.

Leia was familiar with the events that had been occurring on the planet. While she was sent to Bakura, Chandrila faced it's own set of problems. The Imperials had set up a blockade of Star Destroyers around the planet, refusing any traffic to or from the planet's spaceports.

"I would like for you to come meet me in my office to discuss the situation with me. Are you busy at the moment?"

Leia felt giddy at the idea of getting back to work. She stood near the com with a half folded pair of Han's pants in her hands and smiled to herself. "No, Mon, I'm not busy at all at the moment. I will come meet you shortly" she said as she tossed the pants towards the floor. _If I had to organize another item on this ship, I might have lost it completely_ she thought to herself as she switched off the com and readied herself to meet Mon.

Chandrila was a place that Mon Mothma held dear to her, it being her home world and a place she deeply loved. It broke her heart to know of what the Imperials tried to do to her people under their control during the war. Mon's heart filled with joy knowing that her home was now liberated from Imperial control and immediately contacted Leia to meet with her. Mon had regained her position of power on Chandrila and knew Leia would share her exuberance to re-establish the New Republic there.

Leia entered Mon's office to find her sitting at her large desk casually flipping thru her data pad.

"Princess Leia, wonderful to see you" Mon smiled at her as she set her data pad down and looked in her direction. "Please, take a seat" she gestured towards a chair near her desk.

Leia sat across the desk from Mon as she had been instructed.

"I'm very excited at the wonderful news about Chandrila" Leia beamed.

Mon smiled back at Leia. "It's a wonderful day for not only Chandrila, but for the New Republic as a whole." Mon replied. "I know you will be a great help to me, your diplomatic and political skills are more than I could ever ask for. I do have one request of you. I would like for you to leave for Chandrila when you and General Solo are ready, but please take some time to yourselves when you arrive. I have some business of my own to attend to before we can get to work."

Leia was slightly taken aback by Mon's uncharacteristic request of her and also of her addition of Han to the situation. Mon was known for long hours, scheduled meetings and organization, not for relaxation with a significant other. Leia looked at Mon, at a loss of words for a moment. She gathered her thoughts quickly and replied.

"Mon, that's not really necessary. I'm sure there is plenty to do and would like to get to work as soon as possible. I'm sure there is something I can do while you attend you what you need to get done". She paused for a second. " Also, does General Solo know of all of this?"

Mon smiled. "I have already spoken to General Solo about this. You both have been thru so much in the past few weeks. I know you have had time to rest while you recovered from Bakura but Chandrila is a beautiful planet, I want you to enjoy it for a bit before getting back to work". Mon's tone of voice was smooth, but had a hint of insistence to it, alerting Leia to not protest her order any further.

"If you insist, Mon" Leia replied softly.

Leia left her meeting with Mon and walked down the hallway, making her way back towards the hanger and the Falcon. She was still puzzled by Mon's persistence on her taking time off and also her inclusion Han into the trip. _Not that it's unusual of her to include Han on a mission with me, but to insist he accompany me on time off, insisting he needs a break too. Maybe something about Bakura changed her? Mon isn't an emotional woman though_ Leia thought to herself.

Leia approached the Falcon and walked up the ramp to find Han sitting in the lounge. He was dirty, his shirt smeared in grease, an obvious sign he had been doing something to his beloved ship while she was gone.

"Hello my princess" Han smiled as he rose to greet her, kissing her forehead.

"Hello my handsome Corellian " she replied as her arms reached around his waist to embrace him.

"Careful, sweetheart, I'm filthy right now, you'll get grease all over your dress"

"I don't care" she said as she squeezed Han tighter to her.

Han laughed. "You were never a very proper princess".

She giggled as she let him go. She looked up at him. "I can't keep my hands off of you, you are too handsome, even if you are covered in dirt and grease". She rose on her tip toes and kissed Han before speaking again."Why didn't you tell me you spoke with Mon already? I had no idea you were coming with to Chandrila, that you even knew about any of this...she paused for a moment...or that she wanted us to take a few days to ourselves. I was shocked when she told me all of that".

"Wanted to surprise you a little. We get time to ourselves for a bit, that's so rare. We've been through a war and you've been so busy picking up the pieces after the fall of the Empire, don't you think you deserve it, just a little bit?" Han replied.

Leia sighed. She couldn't exactly argue against the point he made. She tried to not think back over the past years of her life, but when she did, there was an overwhelming amount of pain and sadness. She was too strong willed to dwell in the past for long, but the loss of Alderaan and losing Han as he was enveloped in carbonate, amongst everything else that had happened to her, would always haunt her.

"The Falcon's basically ready to go, I've done everything I needed to do while you met with Mon. You ready to go?" Han asked.

"Of course".

The Falcon had arrived at Alliance base on Chandrila late the night before. Leia awoke in the bunk the next morning and noticed Han's absence from next to her. _He must have already gotten up_ she thought. She glanced at the clock. It was hours after she normally would wake up. _He let me sleep in, that was sweet of him._ She lay in bed for a minute more before deciding she couldn't just lounge around all day. She pulled the blankets from her and rose from the bed and walked to the closet to get dressed.

Leia pulled a light blue sundress over her head, smoothing the fabric down as it fell over her legs. She felt different in it, it being a style that was a far cry from her normal way of dressing. It was a lightweight fabric, simple yet pretty, the hemline only falling to the tops of her knees leaving her lower legs bare. The neckline of the dress dipped slightly across the tops her breasts, exposing a rare hint of cleavage. She felt feminine, the dress being the total opposite of the conservative clothes she would normally wear to meetings and on missions. _I'm not going to a meeting today though_ she had to remind herself.

She walked to the fresher and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hands reached up to her hair and began to braid it tightly. She paused for a moment and looked at her reflection. _No, I always pull my hair back because it's functional_ she thought to herself, her fingers letting go of the braid as the strands unraveled. She combed thru her hair with her fingers and paused for a moment. Her hand reached towards a brush that was resting on the edge of the sink and began pulling the bristles thru her dark chestnut hair. She sectioned out the top portion of her hair and brushed it back away from her face, pinning it back loosely, small strands falling gracefully around her face. The rest of her hair fell gently over her shoulders and down her back. She set the brush down and looked at herself. _I forgot how long my hair actually is_ she thought as she turned slightly to see in the mirror how far down her back it actually went.

She stepped out of the fresher and walked to the closet. She pulled up the door and looked down towards the bottom. She paused once again, looking at her small collection of shoes. _Snow boots, work boots, combat boots ...that's all I have is boots?_ She kneeled down and pushed the row of boots out of her way, leaning in to reach further into the back of the closet. She found a pair of simple nerf leather sandals and pulled them out as she leaned back to remove herself from the closet. She shook them slightly to shake off some dust from them and then pulled them on her feet. She ran her hands down the front of her dress and smiled to herself before palming open the bunk door to go find Han.

Leia walked into the Falcon's lounge and found Han sitting at the holochess table, sipping from a cup of caf. His eyes widened as he saw her. He set his mug down on the table and rose to greet her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close for a kiss.

"You look absolutely beautiful today, sweetheart."

"Thank you".

Leia turned to the galley and poured herself a mug of caf and sat down with Han at the holochess table. She took a long sip as she glanced towards Han.

"What should we do today? It's almost strange to not have anything to do all day" Leia asked.

"I was actually thinking about this….maybe take a walk with me? There's a lake nearby. "

"Han Solo wanting to go on a leisurely stroll? That seems very unlike you" Leia jokingly stated.

Han smiled a lop sided grin. She was right, it was a very strange request to come from him, but they were also in unfamiliar circumstances at the moment. "I just thought it would be nice for once. We've never really had a chance to actually go out somewhere without the fear of some Imperial trying to blast us".

Leia couldn't help but to laugh. It was true. The whole time she had been in a relationship with Han, they had been in constant danger. They had never actually gone anywhere by themselves without having the fear of something happening to them. She knew that she could let her guard down a little now but never completely. There would always be enemies of the Republic, but for now, they could have a little peace.

"That sounds nice". Leia smiled.

Leia reached for Han's arm, gently holding onto the crook of his elbow as they walked down the ramp of the Falcon. They crossed the hanger, a few Alliance pilots passing them as they made their way to the outside. Han noticed the pilots glancing at the princess as they walked past. Han couldn't help but to have a cocky smile on his face. _Sorry, fly boys, she's all mine_ he thought to himself.

A pleasant breeze surrounded them as they exited the hanger and began down the street. The morning sun was warm already, a perfect Chandrilan summer day. Han reached to Leia's hand and wrapped his fingers through hers.

"So where exactly are we going?" Leia asked, smiling at Han.

"Not far actually, it's right up here a bit" He responded, his free hand pointing in front of them.

"How do you know?"

"I saw it as we landed when we got here." Han replied.

"So you've been thinking about this then?"

"It's been in the back of my mind" he smiled.

They reached a large field. A simple wooden pathway cut it's way thru the tall grass that now surrounded them as they made their way towards a sparkling blue lake in the distance. Crystal water stretched out as far as they could see. As they walked, Leia's hand reached out, brushing against the tops of the balmgrass as she past it, the fluffy tops of the grass soft against her fingers. She felt peaceful, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. A warm breeze blew across her face and thru her hair, rustling the grass around them. Her thoughts were interrupted by Han squeezing her hand gently. She looked at him, his hazel eyes sparkling in the summer sun. He looked relaxed, an expression that she rarely had seen from him.

"Would you ever marry me, Leia?" Han asked, his voice heavy with curiosity.

"In a heartbeat, of course I would. I just never thought that word was in your vocabulary" she smiled back to him.

"It wasn't until I met you."

"Always arrogant and cocky Solo learned a new word?" Leia jokingly quipped.

"Maybe when I first met you I was, but you know by now that's not how I really am, Leia". Han's expression changed to one that was more serious.

"I'm just kidding with you" Leia said as she playfully nudged Han's arm with her shoulder.

"I'm not kidding with you. I want to marry you, Leia". Han's tone still carried the note of seriousness, causing Leia to pause for a moment. Her thoughts raced for a second. _Is he trying to ask me to marry him? Is this his way of proposing to me?_

"Are you trying to ask me to marry you?" She asked inquisitively.

"Well, I would first want ask Luke for your hand in marriage, seeing that he's your brother". _I can't exactly ask either your adopted or biological father for your hand in marriage_ Han couldn't help to think.

"You know Luke would say yes in a second if you asked him. You're his best friend" Leia replied, her playfulness subsiding for a moment in reaction to Han's seriousness about the issue.

"I know. I would just want to do things the proper way" Han said.

"Where is my scoundrel and what have you done with him?" Leia joked, her smile returning. Han's expression eased at her comment, a smile spreading back across his face.

Leia had day dreamed of the idea of marriage to Han before, never thinking it was something that could potentially happen. Not that she wasn't completely happy with him and their relationship as it was, but what girl wouldn't dream of being married to most wonderful man in the galaxy? She was already surprised that Han was actually suggesting the idea of marriage to her, let alone wanting to go about things in the proper fashion. In her daydreams, she would always end up married to him in an impromptu decision by the both of them, never in a traditional fashion, Corellian whiskey usually playing a part in it. She thought she was just being realistic with her thoughts, but if Han was actually wanting to do things the proper way, she would not protest in the slightest.

They had reached the lake. Smooth sand stretched out in front of them. Small waves lapped at the shore. They made their way down the beach a short distance to a large weathered tree that rose from the ground. It provided an ample amount of shade, the sun now high in the sky, the air even warmer than before. Han and Leia sat down under the tree, it's weathered branches towering above them. They had walked for the last few minutes in silence, Leia's mind still baffled by the conversation from earlier. Han stretched out his legs in front of him, leaning back on his hands behind him. He took a deep breath and broke their silence.

"I didn't scare you at all with my question did I?" Han asked. He glanced at Leia, searching her expression for some kind of answer before she spoke.

Leia sat with her legs folded under her, the fabric of her skirt draped across them. She looked at Han and smiled. He looked worried, like a little boy who wasn't sure of something.

"Not at all. You know I love you. To spend the rest of my life with you, as Mrs. Solo at that, would be the most amazing thing" she replied.

Han relaxed as Leia answered him. He never felt this unsure of himself and it confused him. He had never been in this position before though, never having someone he loved so deeply that he secretly worried to himself that he could somehow mess it all up. He looked at her, sitting in the grass. Her long hair flowed around her, her pale shoulders peeking thru the dark strands. _My princess is the most beautiful woman in the galaxy_ Han thought to himself _and she loves you. Stop doubting yourself so much._

Han laughed. "I rather like the sound of Mrs. Solo". His doubts and fears began to subside. He sat up a bit and wrapped an arm around her. "Or would it be Princess Solo?" he joked as he pulled her close to him.

"It could be whichever you wanted it to be. Everyone else will have to deal with the mouthful that would be Princess Leia Organa Solo" she chuckled.

She leaned against Han's chest, taking in the moment, savoring in the tranquility of it all. She felt Han kiss the top of her head.

"What do you say we head back to base? It's getting really warm out". Han suggested.

Leia had barely noticed the heat around them, too lost in everything that had happened. She glanced at her arms and noticed that they had begun to turn a light shade of pink from the sun. The air around her hung humid and thick now, the once pleasant breeze gone.

"That's probably for the best" she agreed as Han unwrapped his arm from around her. She stood up from the grass, smoothing the wrinkles her dress against her legs . Han also stood, taking her hand as they began to make their way back to the Falcon.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own these characters. I just make them do stuff. I do not profit from this in any way, shape or form._

Han and Leia walked into the hanger, the cool air around them a welcomed change from the summer day outside.

"Princess Leia!" a voice rang out behind them. Leia turned to see General Rieekan walking towards them.

Rieekan reached Leia, a wide smile across his face as he embraced her in a hug. "It's so good to see you. I've heard everything you've been thru, I'm so sorry. I'm so happy to see you are alright".

"It's so good to see you too,General". Leia replied, smiling back as he squeezed her tightly. She barely cared that she was standing in the middle of an Alliance hanger surrounded by personnel being hugged by the General. She had known him since she was a young girl in the Senate and the two had always shared a common fondness for each other, both hailing from Alderaan.

Rieekan let go of Leia and turned to Han, still smiling as he shook Han's hand. "Luke told me you took excellent care of her after what happened on Bakura. I know you are always looking out for her. You are one of the best things that could have happened to her. I always know she's safe with you".

"Of course, sir" Han wrapped an arm around Leia, pulling her close to his side. Leia could feel her face blushing at the conversation between the two. She was very glad that Rieekan approved of her relationship with Han.

Rieekan looked towards Leia. "You know, Princess, we've got a lot of catching up to do. Seems like ages since we've had a chance to talk. Dinner's on me if you would like".

"That sounds wonderful" Leia replied.

"Would you mind, Han, if I stole her away from you for the evening?" Rieekan asked.

"Not in the slightest" Han nodded. Leia smiled to him as he unwrapped his arm from her.

"I'll see you later then" Leia kissed Han's cheek before walking away with Rieekan, their conversation already going a parsec a minute, the two already filling each other in with everything that had happened in the past weeks.

* * *

Han sat in the Falcon's lounge. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do now that his evening was free. Leia would be gone with General Rieekan for awhile, he knew they had quite a bit to discuss. He liked Rieekan and was happy that Leia and him had time to catch up. They had not had the chance to since the fall of the Empire.

Han's thoughts began to wander to his and Leia's earlier conversation at the lake. He wished Chewie was around to talk to, the Wookiee always lends a listening ear and advice when Han needed it. Other than Leia, Chewie was the only one Han had let his guard down to, the only one that he ever allowed to see what was past the cocky couldn't-care-less front he put on. Han shifted in his seat and let out a long sigh.

Han's comm buzzed on the table in front of him, pulling him from his thoughts. He reached for his comm and turned it on, Luke's voice coming thru with a hit of static.

"Hey Han"

"Hey there, kid. What's going on?" Han responded.

"Not much. Heard you and Leia got sent out to Chandrila. I just finished up some business over on Coruscant and had the evening free. Haven't seen you guys in awhile".

"Yeah, it has been a bit hasn't it? Leia's out with Rieekan, but I'm around."

"Those two probably will be awhile. What'd you say we have a couple drinks? Maybe a round or two of sabacc" Luke suggested.

Han laughed. "You haven't learned yet have you,kid? Be prepared to lose some credits!"

"That's just cause you never taught me how to cheat right yet" Luke joked back.

"I'll see you in a bit then" Han said as he switched off the comm, the transmission fading into static and then silence.

He rose from his chair, making his way to the galley. He opened a cabinet and reached for his bottle of Corellian whiskey. The bottle was almost empty, a small amount of amber liquid swirled at the bottom as he stared at it. _That's not going to be enough for the both of us_ Han thought as he then placed the bottle back in the cabinet.

Han strapped his blaster around him and pulled his vest on before turning to exit the Falcon. He walked across the hanger, nodding as he passed a couple of pilots working on their ships. He walked outside and crossed the street. He paused for a second, unsure of which direction to go and decided to head away from the lake they had gone to earlier. He made his way to the corner and glanced down the street, noting a row of shops up ahead. _One of them is bound to sell Corellian whiskey_ he thought to himself. The afternoon sun was lower in the sky but still blazingly hot. The air hung with humidity as sweat began to bead on Han's forehead. He wiped his brow as he slowed in front of a small store that looked promising. A door chime rang as he entered. The shop had shelves of bottles, all shapes and sizes lined up neatly. Han began down an aisle, his eyes wandering thru the vast array of liquids.

A tall man appeared at the end of the aisle. He was an older gentleman, deep wrinkles criss crossing his face. He was dressed simply, an apron covering the front of his outfit. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he began to address Han, his voice deep and gravelly.

"Anything specific you are looking for?" the man asked, his Basic thick with a Corellian accent.

Han was surprised to hear someone with such a pronounced accent of his home planet. He looked towards the man and paused for a second before he responded in Corellian. It had been some time since Han had a conversation with someone in his native language, his words coming slightly slower to him then if he was speaking Basic.

"Some good whiskey. Something a little better than our standard stuff"

The shopkeeper's face seemed to soften as he smiled and responded back to Han in Corellian.

"Nice to speak to someone in something other than Basic for once. Good to see you still speak Corellian too, most kids these days learn Basic and forget all about where they come from". He chuckled to himself for a moment and then turned behind him to pull a bottle off of another shelf. He placed it in Han's hands. "This stuff is good, better then that cheap stuff that goes down like fire water". Han studied the bottle. He recognized the label, it was a type of whiskey that was rarely found off of Corellia and even on the planet, it wasn't cheap.

"How much?" Han asked.

Han could feel the shopkeeper's eyes on the side of his bloodstripes as he spoke. He knew the man as a Corellian understood the significance of the colored striping on his pants. _Please don't ask me about how I earned them_ he begged in his mind, a subject he never had discussed with anyone, not even Leia.

"I'll cut you a deal. It's always nice come across a fellow Corellian. You seem like a good guy who needs a little something to remind him of home" the shopkeeper responded, breaking his glance from Han as he began to walk to the register.

"Thanks, I appreciate it". Han followed the man to the counter, counting out credits as the man slipped the bottle into a small bag and handed it to him.

Han left the shop and began to make his way back to the base. The conversation in Corellian with the shopkeeper had left Han with a hint of sadness. He wished for second he could return to his home planet and take Leia with him. _She'd like it_ he thought as he walked. _We are so close here on Chandrila, maybe I could convince her to go with me, even if it was just for a bit._ His thoughts faded back to reality as he remembered that they were still here on official Alliance business, the days off were technically orders, not a vacation for them to hop from planet to planet as they pleased. _Maybe one day we could go. I'll never get to see where she's from, the least I could do is show her where I come from_ he thought as he reached the hanger and walked back up the ramp to the Falcon.

Han set the bottle on the holochess table and made his way to the bunk, pulling his vest off and then his shirt over his head. He had forgotten how hot summers in the Core Worlds could get. He decided to take a quick shower before Luke's arrival.

* * *

Han pulled a clean pair of blood stripes over his legs and walked from the bunk towards the lounge, pushing his damp hair back from his face. He felt better after showering. He reached the lounge as he pulled a shirt over his head. He heard a familiar voice coming up the Falcon's ramp.

"Han, you up here?" Luke shouted out as he reached the top of the ramp, not expecting to Han to be so close by as he rounded the corner into the lounge.

"How you doing, kid?" Han clapped Luke on the shoulder.

"Pretty good. Nice to have some down time for once, huh? Leia's probably been losing her mind with nothing to keep her busy"

"Yeah, she was getting a little stir crazy there for awhile. You know she basically reorganized my whole ship before we got here? Can't find damned thing anymore".

Luke laughed as he sat at the holochess table, setting his flight helmet next him. Han walked to the galley and brought back two glasses and sat down across from Luke. Luke reached for the bag on the table, pulling the bottle out of it.

"What'd you get us?" He looked at the Corellian writing on the bottle with a confused look on his face, unable to read any of it.

"Some good stuff. You'll like it. Goes down smooth" Han answered as he took the bottle from Luke, unscrewing the top and pouring the dark liquid into each of their glasses.

Luke relaxed back in his chair and took a long sip. "That's pretty good. You Corellians know how to make a whiskey".

"Damn right we do". Han took a long sip from his own glass before setting it back down on the table.

* * *

Luke and Han sat and talked about things for awhile, what they've been up to since Bakura, Leia's recovery, odds and ends, slowly sipping their drinks throughout the conversation.

Luke looked at Han. _Something is troubling him_ he thought. _I can sense it, something is going on with him…and Leia._ His curiosity peaked when he felt his sister's presence in Han's worries.

"Everything good with you and Leia?" Luke practically blurted out.

Han looked surprised. Han knew Luke supported him and his sister together, but never asked questions about their relationship. _I hate that the kid can use the force to sense things sometimes, makes me uncomfortable_ Han thought to himself, hoping that Luke couldn't pick up on his current thoughts.

"Yeah, things have been good with us lately" Han replied, trying to suppress any emotion from his answer.

Luke raised an eyebrow at Han and took a sip of his drink, a skeptical look on his face. Han laughed at Luke, he knew he wasn't buying into it.

"Ah, you got me, kid. Too hard being friends with a Jedi master and keeping a secret from him". Han paused for a moment and began again. "Actually your sister and I had a conversation this morning. I told her I wanted to marry her".

"I knew something was going on with you two" Luke laughed. "So what'd she say?"

"I didn't technically propose to her. Told her I wanted to get your blessing first because it's the right thing to do, you know, cause I can't really ask her...fathers." Han's voice trailed off.

"I appreciate that, Han. I know you think the galaxy of Leia and you love her just as much she loves you and I give you my blessing" Luke grinned. "Plus you get a pretty awesome brother in law out of the deal".

Han laughed. "Thanks, kid. That means a lot".

"So how are you going to ask her?" Luke questioned.

"Hells if I know. Never proposed to anyone before. I don't even have a ring for her yet" he chuckled.

"You know you could give her a bent bolt off the Falcon and she'd still say yes to you" Luke joked.

Han smiled. He knew Luke was completely right, but he felt that his princess deserved the best ring he could find her. _I'd give her the whole galaxy if I was able to._

"I'll get it all figured out. Are you ready to lose to me in some sabacc yet?" Han asked.

Luke took a long sip of his whiskey, draining what was left in the glass, secretly hoping that he could somehow gain Corellian luck by drinking their liquor.

"Not this time, Solo. I'm going to win something off of you tonight" Luke confidently boasted.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**_ _This chapter contains sexual situations. It seems that my Chapter 3's seem to get naughty :) If this isn't something you are into, feel free to skip over it, just giving you fair warning that it's in there._

"You gonna be alright, kid?" Han asked Luke as he made his way down the Falcon's ramp, a slight stagger in his step. Luke stopped for a minute and turned back towards Han.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Probably have to do a couple of supply runs to make up the credits you just wiped me out of" Luke laughed. "See you later, Han".

"Night, Luke". Han waved to Luke as he disappeared into the hanger.

Han turned from the ramp and walked towards the bunk. He was tired, he had consumed just much whiskey as Luke but with half the effect. Luke might be a Jedi master now but he still had the tolerance of a Tatooine farm boy. He palmed open the door to the bunk and kicked off his boots before climbing into bed. He lay there staring at the ceiling, his body warm from the liquor. _How exactly am I going to ask Leia to marry me? Where do I even start to look for a ring?_ He smiled to himself as his thoughts wandered. He never had to procure a piece of jewellery legally before. Any precious stones he had ever come across before were just pieces of smuggling cargo to him, a quick run to some planet or another with an even quicker credit payout upon delivery. He let out a sigh as he pushed his hair back from his face. _You'll figure it out, Solo, you always do._

Han's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the metal grating in the hallway. The bunk door whooshed open and Leia entered. She smiled at Han.

"Hello my handsome scoundrel". She removed her sandals and climbed into bed next to him. Han's arm wrapped around her and pulled her close to him. He had missed her, even in her short absence.

Han leaned and kissed her softly, her lips sweet with a hint of wine. "Hello my beautiful princess. How was dinner with General Rieekan?"

"It was good. Sorry for getting back so late, we talked all thru dinner and then had a few glasses of wine afterwards. It was good to catch up with him. What'd you do tonight?"

"Luke came by. Smoked him like a womp rat in sabacc yet again".

Leia laughed. Her poor brother just wouldn't learn. Even the pilots around base knew better then to get involved in card games with Han unless they were prepared to lose.

"Luke's here? I thought he was still on Coruscant". Leia asked.

"He comm'd me earlier, said he finished things up there a little early so he flew here this afternoon. Think he said he'd stick around on base for a few days".

"Glad he's back". She looked at Han and kissed him deeply.

"You taste like whiskey" she breathed as her lips parted his.

"You taste like wine" he whispered back. "Are you a little tipsy, my princess?"

"Maybe" Leia giggled. "Are you?"

"It's a possibility" Han laughed, pulling Leia close to him, his lips meeting hers in another kiss.

His hand ran up her back to her hair, his fingers intertwining thru the long strands. Their kiss began to grow in passion, her tongue meeting his. He could feel her hand slip under his shirt and run up his side, her fingertips smooth against his skin. His hand wandered to her thigh, running it's way up the side, pushing part of her skirt with it towards her hips. His fingers traced their way towards the inside of her thigh, leaving an invisible path under his calloused fingertips. Her legs parted slightly, allowing his fingers to skim her folds, already wet under his touch. Leia breathed deeply as she felt one of his fingers press against her, entering her. She broke from the kiss for a moment, her mind swirling as he worked his finger in her, slowly picking up speed. Her head tilted back slightly, her chest rising and falling quickly.

She felt his hand leave her abruptly as Han shifted himself on top of her. She glanced up at him, his hands now resting on the bed above her shoulders, supporting his weight. She felt very small under him, his figure seeming larger than ever above her. He leaned in to kiss her, her breathing still heavy, almost begging for him even after so little as his touch.

"I want you" he whispered as his lips left hers.

"I want you too" she breathed back, her body longing for him. He sat up, his weight shifting to his heels as he unbuckled his pants and pulled them down slightly, exposing himself, already hard. His hands slid up her legs, pushing the rest of the fabric of her dress around her waist as he leaned close to her again. Her legs parted and wrapped around his waist as he pushed himself against her wetness, her body taking him inside of her.

"Ah gods, Leia, you feel amazing" he breathed against her neck as he pushed deeper inside of her. She could smell the whiskey lingering heavy on his breath, hardly caring as he began to find a rhythm within her. She felt him nip at her neck as he thrust into her again, her arms reaching around his back, her fingers pulling against his shirt as he began to pick up speed. She didn't even care that neither of them had bothered to undress, all she wanted in the moment was him inside of her.

His body pounded into hers repeatedly. She was burning with ecstasy, hardly able to contain herself. Her hands now clung tightly to the back of his shirt, her fingers in fists around what fabric she could possibly hold on to in the moment as she let out a loud moan. Her head spun, a combination of wine and pleasure. She could barely feel her legs, only half aware that they were even still attached to her. "Han…..Han….oh gods" she managed to utter. She looked at him, his eyes closed as he was completely focused in the moment. She could feel his body begin to tense above her.

"Sweetheart, I can't hold back anymore" he muttered, his rhythm never ceasing, his hips still crashing into her. She tightened her legs around him, crying out as she felt him explode into her, his body loosening as he thrust one final time.

He moved himself off of her, laying next to her in the bed. She lifted her head from the pillow to allow his arm to wrap itself around her, pulling her close to him. She relaxed against his shoulder, his chest still rising and falling rapidly beneath her. He kissed the top of her head as they lay together in silence for a moment, both catching their breaths. She rolled towards him, taking in the sweet fragrance of his shirt as she looked up at him. His brow was damp with sweat and his hair was a mess. _He's so handsome_ she thought to herself. She placed her hand against his chest and nuzzled her chin against him. She felt secure, the weight of his arm resting against her back, her body pressed against his. She loved everything about him in this moment.

"What are Corellian weddings like?" Leia asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Han looked at her. He was surprised at her question and thought about it for a moment. His head still felt heavy from the whiskey. _Why is she asking me this right now?_ It had been a long time since he had attended a wedding, let alone a Corellian one.

"They're kind of a huge party, honestly. They aren't very formal unless they take place in the city". "Sometimes they go on for a few days, a lot of liquor involved. The whole family is there, no matter where in the galaxy they live, they show up." he answered.

A look of sadness crossed Leia's face. She thought of the fact that she had no one left and she knew nothing of Han's family, wondering to herself if he even had any. "Well, that won't be a tradition we would be able to have".

"We have each other. And Luke and Chewbacca. That's plenty". He kissed her forehead to reassure her that everything would be fine.

"I know". Leia let a small smile form. "What else can you tell me about Corellian weddings?".

"The bride usually wears green, not white. It's considered lucky to us".

Leia laughed and playfully nudged Han before stretching herself up off of his chest to kiss his cheek. "According to Alderaanian traditions I couldn't wear white because of what I've already done many times with a certain scoundrel anyways".

Han chuckled. "It's not my fault you are so irresistible and I can't keep my hands off of you". He squeezed her tightly in his arms for a second. "Why all these questions for me tonight, sweetheart? You never ask me things like this".

"I'm just curious. I know about how things are done on Alderaan, but I don't know anything about your home world".

She looked up at him again, noticing sadness in his hazel eyes. It had never occurred to her that Han might actually miss his home. She had always thought he was happier on the Falcon, never settling too long in one place. _Maybe I've been wrong_ she felt a small pang of guilt for all the times he had listened to her talk about the things she missed about Alderaan, never once considering Han might have the same feelings, even though his planet was still intact.

"What was growing up on Corellia like?" She asked quietly, not sure how Han would react to her question.

Han reached his hand up and pushed away stray hairs that had fallen around Leia's face, his expression troubled. He was unsure of how to answer her. _Why does she want to know all these things all of a sudden?_ Han suddenly was nervous. He never talked about his past with anyone, preferring to remain mysterious to people, even Chewbacca knew very little about who he was before they crossed paths.

"Leia, there's really nothing interesting about my childhood. In fact, there's very little that is interesting about me before I met you." he sighed, hoping she might lose interest in the topic.

"I doubt that. You must have a history, everyone does. You know mine".

Han looked at Leia, her deep brown eyes seemingly searching for an answer from him. _She should know, it's only fair to her seeing that she wants to spend the rest of her life with me._ He took a deep breath. He had many demons he preferred not to face, but she had the right to know his history. He could remain a mystery to everyone else besides her. She was the only person who had ever looked past the facade he put on around people, the only one who fought back against his cockiness, questioned him, pushed him and she was the only one he had ever stuck around for. _And that's why you love her so much_ he reminded himself, trying to calm his own fears.

"I didn't have a very happy childhood", he began. Leia could sense that Han was uncomfortable. She took his hand, wrapping her fingers thru his for reassurance. He took a deep breath and continued "My parents died when I was young so I didn't have anyone to look after me. I started committing small crimes, pick pocketing, shoplifting, stuff like that. I didn't really see anything wrong with it at first because it was for survival, not out of greed".

Leia didn't know what to say. She always had suspected that Han didn't come from an ideal background, but she never imagined he was orphaned and left to raise himself on the streets. Her heart grew heavy as he began speaking again, his voice still uneasy.

"By the time I was a teenager, I learned how to pilot a ship. That was a skill that paid off" he quietly chuckled to himself. "I started running small jobs for the local smuggling gangs. I made more credits than I ever had before in my life at that point. I thought I was going to be alright for a bit. Then I got drafted into the Imperial Navy which cut my new smuggling career short for awhile. It wasn't that long though, I got kicked out of the Navy, but I did leave with a Wookiee who promised me a life debt".

Leia kissed his cheek, a gesture of reassurance to him. She could tell Han was struggling to tell her these things about himself but she didn't want Han to stop his story, a rare glimpse into another side of him. She quietly asked "What did you do after the Navy?"

"I went back to what I knew made money. I won the Falcon from Lando not too long after that and started smuggling huge amounts of spice for the Hutts. I didn't really have much to lose at that point". He squeezed Leia's hand before letting go of it. He kissed her and looked deep into her eyes. "I wasn't a good person for a long time, sweetheart. I've robbed, smuggled and cheated all over the galaxy. I've done a lot of things I'm not exactly proud of".

"You know I'm going to love you no matter what you have done in your lifetime" Leia's voice quivered. She felt like she was about to cry, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

Han noticed a tear roll down her face and reached to wipe away her cheek. "Don't cry, my princess".

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know how difficult things were for you" she whispered, unable to contain her tears now.

"You do what you have to sometimes, play the cards you're dealt".

"I feel bad. I would always complain about my problems when you had so many of your own. I never imagined that your life was so difficult" she sniffed, her voice still weak.

"Leia, don't say that. You've been thru seven hells in your life. Much more so than me". He held her close and kissed the top of head.

She smiled. "It was all worth it in the end. I love you, you know that?". She brushed the last of her tears away from her cheek.

"Of course I do, my princess" he replied back to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Leia had left early the next morning for an meeting. Some matters about Alliance budget reports needed her attention, she had explained to Han as she readied herself for the day. She had told him that she would most likely be gone for the majority of the day. Han stayed behind, lounging in bed for another hour after he had kissed her goodbye. He had dreamed of Corellia the night before, his home world still lingering in his thoughts upon waking. He very rarely dreamed in his sleep, but he also never had a conversation with anyone like the one he had with Leia the night before. An idea began to form in his mind as he rose from bed. Han walked to the closet to retrieve something to wear for the day. He reached for a pair of blood stripes before deciding against them. _If I'm going back to Corellia, I don't want to look like a Solo_ he thought to himself. He didn't think he would run into any issues, but he didn't want to draw any attention to himself while on the planet. He shuffled thru the clothing in the closet and uncovered a plain pair of black pants and pulled them on. He reached for a blue work shirt and slipped it on, his fingers quickly buttoning the front of it. He turned to the table next to the bed and picked up his blaster, securing the belt around him before exiting the bunk.

Han walked across the hanger towards Luke. He was standing under his x wing, his arms stretched upwards, a hydrospanner in his hand tightening a bolt. He heard Han's boot steps approaching him and turned over his shoulder to look towards him.

"Hey, Han!"

"How's it going, kid? What are you doing to that ship of yours?"

"Just made some adjustments to the power generators the other day. Just wanted to make sure everything was back together"

Han looked at Luke's modifications. He reached up and pointed to a cluster of wires.

"If you move that blue one into here" Han's finger traced an invisible path over the parts "you'll get double the output with half the energy used".

"You can do that?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. Here, give me that hydrospanner. You're just bypassing the intake. Did the same thing to the Falcon years ago" Han explained to Luke. Luke placed the tool in Han's hand and he reached up, unscrewing a bolt, the blue wire now dangling free. Han moved the wire to a new position, reconnecting it quickly. He shut the cover over the parts and re screwed everything back to into place.

"That should help you out some, you'll notice the difference right away" Han stated, returning the hydrospanner to Luke.

"Thanks" Luke replied. "So what brings you down here?" Luke couldn't help to question Han's presence. He knew Han well enough that he knew that he never went anywhere without a specific purpose.

Han's voice lowered to almost a whisper as he stepped closer to Luke.

"I have a favor to ask you".

Luke noticed the seriousness on Han's face and set the hydrospanner down into the toolbox and turned back to look at Han.

"Sure, what's going on?" Luke asked.

"I need to borrow your ship. I wanted to jump over to Corellia while I had the time and…."

His words stopped for a moment as a group of pilots walked past them. He knew he was taking a risk leaving the base and taking the Falcon would be out of the question. If Leia returned from her meeting to notice the ship gone, he knew there would be more than just one hell to pay for it. He saw the pilots were at enough of a distance now and continued "I wanted to get for a ring for Leia".

Luke paused before responding. He wasn't sure at first if Han's idea was a good one at first. While technically not on a mission, Han just flying away from base, even if it was only for a few hours, could have repercussions. Luke weighed the options in his mind. He thought back to their prior conversation and decided to himself he would allow Han to take his ship. _What's the worst that could happen? Han's one of the best pilots in the galaxy and wants to marry my sister. I trust him._

"Yeah, that's fine. I know this is something important to you".

"Thanks, kid. I owe you one. I promise, I'll take good care of your ship".

"You're going to let me pilot the Falcon one of these days for this" Luke joked.

Han laughed as he shook his head no. "Maybe I'll just let you win a couple of sabacc games instead".

Luke chuckled. "Very funny. Go get Leia the best ring you can find her".

Luke handed Han his flight helmet as Han climbed into the cockpit of the x wing. Luke made his way back down the ladder to the floor as Han flipped switches on the control panel, the engines roaring to life. Han pulled the canopy closed above him, giving Luke a nod of appreciation for doing him such a huge favor. Luke was now in front of the ship. He nodded in return as he waved the ship into position for takeoff. He could see Han reach for another set of toggle switches, the engines growing louder than ever as the ship idled momentarily as Luke sprinted quickly towards the wall of the base to allow for Han to take off. The x wing hummed as it began its ascent and then in a single roar shot into space, a streak of orange trailing behind it before disappearing completely.

* * *

Corellia was a short flight from the base. Han landed in the capital city of Coronet, carefully setting Luke's ship down in the city's spaceport. Han climbed down from the ship and made his way thru the bustle of activity. Han knew that the port was nearly always busy, it was one of the largest ports in the Core Worlds. He could easily land here without attracting any attention, the constant flurry of activity had made the locals almost oblivious to the comings and goings of ships.

Han walked down the street towards the city center. The sun was bright overhead, the air sweet, a faint breeze stirring the air. It was the height of summer on Corellia, warm but not overly hot. Tall buildings covered in ornate detailing rose above the street around him. He had missed the planet, the way it looked and felt was still familiar to him, even after so many years away.

* * *

Leia walked thru the hanger. She had been dismissed from her meeting early, happy that she had been relieved of her duties for the day. She was excited at the idea of getting some extra time with Han. Upon reaching the Falcon, she noticed that Han wasn't working anywhere on the outside of the ship. She walked up the Falcon's ramp expecting Han to be somewhere inside. She was greeted with a silent ship. She walked thru the lounge to the bunk, palming the door open and setting her bag on the floor. The bed was unmade and empty. She noticed Han's blaster and belt was absent from the table. _He's not on the ship_ she thought. _He always takes his blaster with him, even if he's only going a short distance from the Falcon._ _Where could he be?_ She paused, contemplating for a moment. _If he received orders to go anywhere else on this base, I would have known about it._ She reached to her bag and pulled out her comm, switching it on.

"Han, where are you?" She radioed. She waited for a second, only hearing static in return. She tried once again. "Han, it's Leia, where are you?" The static feedback from the comm grew louder, indicating to her that she wasn't going to get a response. She switched the comm off, a mixture of worry and anger rising in her. _Nothing? Where in the seven hells could he have gone?_

* * *

Han felt his comm buzzing in his pocket as he made his way thru Coronet. He thought for a moment to answer it, but decided against it. He continued to walk as he felt the comm buzzing again. _Did someone on base figure out I was gone?_ He worried to himself for a second before deciding that no one could have figured out his absence yet, if that was even the case. For all the Alliance knew he had been napping on the Falcon all day. Han crossed the street and started down a narrow side street. The street was shadowed by the tall buildings and was considerably less busy than the main street had been. A speeder whizzed past him as he turned a corner. He was now in what was considered the Blue Sector of Coronet, a shadier part of town he used to frequent often and knew well. Little about the area had changed since the last time Han had walked the streets of the area. He made his way another block or so before reaching his destination.

A large open air area of a market stood in front of him. The rows between tents and booths were bustling with people, a stark contrast from the nearly empty streets he had just walked thru. He made his way thru the crowd, memories flooding back to him. _Never thought I would find myself here again_ he thought. He made his way thru the assortment of vendors selling everything from fruit to spaceship parts. He knew where he needed to go. The crowd around him began to thin as he reached the back of the market. A low row of buildings lined the end of the street, small awnings in front of them flapping in the summer breeze.

* * *

Leia threw her comm onto the table. She was completely annoyed and angry at Han for just disappearing on her. _He could have at least left a note or something telling me where he was_ she thought as she bent down to her bag on the floor. She pulled out her data pad and stood up, exiting the bunk and returning to the lounge. She sat at the holo chess table and switched her pad on. _Least I can do is get some work done until he gets back._ She began flipping thru spreadsheets, studying numbers and figures. She let out a long sigh as she stared at them, her mind wandering. _Why am I getting so angry? He has every right to go out and do something without me._ Her anger calmed for a moment. She had gotten so accustomed to Han practically always being around her. _I don't need him beside me all the time. I'm a perfectly capable woman to be alone for awhile, not some helpless little girl who has to rely on someone all the time. What is happening with me?_

* * *

Han walked into a small shop. A middle aged woman stood behind the counter. She was petite, her blonde hair pulled away from her face into a neat bun on the top of her head. She wore a simple green dress that looked as if it had seen better days. She looked up at Han as he approached her.

"What can I do for you today, sir?" she asked.

"I, um, I actually was looking for an engagement ring" Han stuttered. He suddenly felt nervous in the presence of the woman. He felt overwhelmed and confused, at a loss that he was standing in the middle of a jewellery shop after secretly leaving base for another planet to purchase something that would alter his life so drastically.

The woman smiled at Han, her face relaxed, laugh lines creasing around her eyes as she spoke. "You have the look of every man who is about to propose on your face. Don't be so nervous. Tell me about your lucky lady".

Han took a deep breath. _You love Leia, you know you want to spend the rest of your life with her. Get it together, Solo_ he thought. He began to relax a bit at the thought of his beautiful princess, although his palms were still sweaty from nerves.

"She's the most wonderful person I've ever met" Han confessed to the strange woman.

"Then you are making the right decision here. What type of ring were you thinking?" the woman asked.

"I honestly have no idea" Han admitted. He had never seen Leia wear jewellery, for they were always in combat situations for the entirety of their relationship and it wasn't a practical thing for her to do in the middle of a war. He had also never really given it much thought before this moment.

"Most Corellian girls like gold with a medium to large stone of some kind, if that helps you any" the woman replied.

"She's actually not Corellian" Han muttered.

The woman pursed her lips slightly at his words. Han knew as a Corellian that it was a bit of a faux paux in his culture to marry someone from another world. He personally thought it was an antiquated way of thinking and secretly hoped that the woman shared his opinion.

"A handsome boy like you couldn't find a Corellian girl? Your lady must be incredibly special then" she laughed, a smile crossing her face as she spoke. Han breathed a sigh of relief as the woman reached into the counter in front of her and pulled out a thin silver band that had three green stones across the top of it. Han took the ring from her and studied it.

"What do you think of something like that?" the woman asked.

"I like the green, but maybe something a bit…."

"You mean more pronounced?" She asked, glancing at Han.

 _She's a princess_ Han thought to himself. He couldn't tell the woman who he was proposing to, but he didn't want just some simple ring for her.

Han passed the first ring back to the woman. She took it from him and placed it back to cabinet as she drew another out and handed it to him.

He looked at the second ring. It had two small green gems next to a larger white diamond in the center. It shined in the light as he examined it.

"That one is two Corellian emeralds with an Alderaanian diamond in the center of it" the woman explained. "Very rare, might I add, you know, after what the Empire did to that poor planet".

Han was shocked. His fingers trembled as he held the ring, still intently looking at it, his eyes unable to break away from it. _This is it. This is the ring that is meant for Leia._

"Sir?" the woman's voice echoed to him from what seemed a million parsecs away.

Han snapped his glance away from the ring and towards the woman. She stared at him, looking slightly puzzled.

"Yeah, this one is perfect" Han stammered, his head still trying to make sense of everything happening at the moment.

The woman smiled at him. "I think she will be very happy with your selection". She took the ring from Han's hands and placed it in a small box, handing it back to him.

"I think so too" he agreed as he took the box from her, slipping it into his pocket.

Han settled the bill with the woman and thanked her for her help. He turned and exited the shop, walking back onto the street. The sun was now lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the market as he made his way back to the spaceport. _I'm going to have to join Luke on those supply runs after what that cost me_ he thought as he climbed into the cockpit of Luke's x wing. He started the engines, a low rumbling surrounding him as he sat there. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box and opened it, looking at the ring once again. _But this was completely worth every credit if it means the rest of my life with Leia_ he thought, snapping the box shut and slipping it back into his pocket. He flipped some switches, the engine noise growing louder before taking off to return to base.

* * *

Leia still sat at the holo chess table. Hours had passed since she had returned to the Falcon, still with no sign of Han. She had attempted to get some work done, but mostly was lost in her thoughts the whole time. Her anger had returned at Han. She sighed as she shifted her weight in her seat, pulling a knee up to her chest, her foot resting on the edge of the chair. Her thoughts had wandered thru all the possibilities of where he could have gone. At first she thought he had possibly just walked to the shops near the base, maybe back to the lake. As time passed, she began to worry, her thoughts growing more ridiculous. _Maybe he just gave up on the relationship and took off, probably half way across the galaxy by now. Maybe he finally told me all about his past last night because that was his way of saying goodbye, come clean about himself and then that's it. No, he wouldn't do that. Plus, I'm sitting on his ship, he would never just leave without the Falcon._ Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an x wing landing in the hangar outside of the ship. _That's odd, a supply run wouldn't be coming in this late_. She shook her head at her thought, dismissing the idea. _There's always pilots coming and going, it's probably nothing important._ She switched her data pad back on and tried to refocus on her work, staring at the jumble of numbers in front of her.

She heard the Falcon's ramp disengage and footsteps coming up it. She paused from her work for a moment, glancing up towards to the doorway. Han entered the lounge, stopping abruptly as he saw Leia sitting at the holo chess table.

"Hello my beautiful princess, I didn't expect to see you here". His voice was smooth, a slight lop sided grin on his face but his mind raced _How long has she been back? She said she was going to be in that meeting all day._

Leia stared at Han. She wanted to explode at him with the force of every minute of anger she had contained for the past hours. She took a deep breath, her years of diplomatic training told her to at least let him explain himself before losing her temper.

"Hello, Han" she calmly stated. "I got out of my meeting a few hours ago".

Han's mind raced as he stood dumbfounded that he had been caught. _She knows I've been gone for most the afternoon then. She's pissed._ He could tell she was trying to use every ounce of training she had ever received to contain her anger at him. He's seen her angry plenty of times before to know how she operated.

"I actually tried to comm you when I got back to the Falcon. You didn't answer" Leia added, still glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, Leia" Han mumbled.

"That doesn't offer any explanation to me of where in the hells you went" her voice growing slightly louder. "If we were still at war, I would have guessed at this point you were either captured or dead".

"Leia, don't say that. We aren't at war anymore. I'm fine". Han tried reassuring her.

Leia looked at Han and sighed. He was right, they weren't at war anymore, but he still offered no explanation of himself.

Han took a step closer to her, testing the waters of her anger. _How mad could she be?_ He asked himself, looking back her, studying her face. She didn't move. Her dark brown eyes were fixed on him, her brow furrowed. _She's pretty pissed at me, that look on her face says it all._

"I went to Corellia" he admitted. "That's where I was all afternoon".

"How did you get there? I've been sitting here on your ship". Leia's anger now mixed with confusion at Han's statement.

Han pushed his hair back from his face and exhaled. _Just come clean to her about it, Solo_ he thought to himself. "Luke. Luke let me borrow his x wing".

"Luke? You conned my brother into loaning you his ship so you could just go flying off to Corellia?" Leia exclaimed, her voice growing loud again.

"I didn't con your brother into anything. I asked him and he said yes". Han was growing annoyed at Leia's accusation that he had somehow managed to manipulate Luke into anything.

"And what business could you possibly have on Corellia? Did you run out of whiskey or something and figured since we were close by you would just hop home for a second? All the times you used threaten me with leaving and I thought you might have finally done it". Leia's diplomaticness had faded, her anger surging forward as the words fell from her mouth.

Han was done trying to reason with her any longer. His temper flared as her pointed at her, his voice loud "Don't go accusing me of just taking off on you, Leia. I would have thought you would have understood by now that I'm not just going to wake up one day and decided I'm over you and fly off to go to a planet I haven't been back to in years".

"You've also just never disappeared with no explanation before! What was I supposed to think?" She fired back at him.

"I don't really know how to explain it. I wish you wouldn't jump at me looking for an answer for every question sometimes" Han retorted back at her.

Leia sat in silence. Her face felt hot, tears clouded her eyes but she refused to let them fall in front of Han. _Not now at least_ she thought.

"I'm sorry, Han. Maybe it is because I always had to worry that you were in danger, but I just don't understand why you just up and left today to go to Corellia". Her voice had calmed as she held back her tears. She could hardly look at Han at this moment, her head down, staring at her lap as she spoke.

Han looked at her, his anger fading as he noticed how defeated she looked from what he had said to her. _This isn't exactly how I imagined this to go_ he thought as his hand reached towards his pocket, his fingers resting on the small box.

"Leia, this isn't how I intended for all of this to go...but...I went to Corellia today to get you something".

Leia picked her head up slightly and looked at Han. She wiped away a tear that had begun to fall down her cheek. He stepped towards her and bent down on one knee in front of her, his hand removing a small box from his pocket. He opened the box to reveal the most beautiful ring she had even seen in her life.

"Leia, will you marry me?" Han asked.

Leia could not hold back her tears, no longer ones of sadness, but ones of pure joy. All of her anger had melted away in an instant. She trembled as she managed to stammer her reply back to him.

"Yes...yes! Of course I will!"

Leia was in complete shock as Han slipped the ring onto her finger, her hand trembling as he did so. _He might be the most bantha-brained idiot in the whole galaxy sometimes but I love him_ she thought. Han stood up, sweeping Leia into his arms, kissing her deeply.

"Leave it to us to even have an unconventional engagement" Han joked as he held her close.

Leia smiled as she placed her hand against his chest and examined her ring. "This is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. How in the galaxy did you find and Alderaanian diamond...and what are these green stones?"

"Corellian emeralds" Han answered.

"It's truly perfect" Leia smiled. "I love you".

Han smiled back at her. "I know".

 _ **Author's Note:** I've been a bit torn about if I should continue on with this story and if the time leading up to their wedding/ the actual wedding day has any interest. I have a few ideas I've been tossing around and wanted to get your feedback if you would you like to see this story continue or is it best left here? _


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's note:**_ _Thank you guys for the support in wanting to see more of this story! I have decided to keep writing it. I'm horrible at wrapping up and ending things anyways._

Leia sat in another morning meeting concerning the Alliance. Her focus was anywhere but in the meeting though, her thoughts wandered far from the pages of spreadsheets she was supposed to be following along with. _I'm engaged! I'm getting married to most handsome and wonderful man in the whole galaxy!_ she thought to herself. She absent mindedly fidgeted with her ring under the table, stealing quick glances at it, the jewels sparkling on her finger. Her focus snapped back to reality as she heard the shuffling of chairs around her as Mon dismissed the meeting. Mon's voice bellowed over the noise in the room towards her.

"Princess Leia, if I could have a minute of your time before you leave, please?"

 _Oh gods. Did she notice that I was anywhere but here the whole meeting?_ Leia's head rushed as she worried that Mon had noticed her wandering mind.

"Of course, Mon" she replied.

The table had cleared as the last of the other Alliance members left the room, leaving Leia sitting alone in silence, her worry growing. Mon set her data pad down on the table and made her way to sit next to Leia. Mon smiled as she broke the silence in the room.

"How have you enjoyed your time so far on Chandrila?" Mon asked as she relaxed in her seat.

"It has been nice. It really is a beautiful place" Leia replied, trying to suppress her fears that Mon was about to chastise her or worse, send her to another base on some other assignment. She secretly wished she had more down time to see more of the planet, her and Han's short walk to the lake the only opportunity she had to experience anything beyond the base. Leia felt Mon's eyes wander to her hand.

"What is that on your finger?" Mon asked, her eyes fixed on Leia's ring.

Leia felt her face growing flushed. She had been so excited to be engaged, she hadn't thought about how she would respond to questions about it. _I didn't even think about wearing it to the meeting. I never even gave it a second thought this morning_ she thought, the ring had already became part of her. She felt lost. She had always had answers to things, trained to always have a response, no matter how quickly a question was thrown at her.

"It's a ring" she stammered, immediately realizing how stupid her answer was.

Mon smiled and let out a small laugh as she reached towards Leia's hand. She picked up Leia's fingers, resting them in hers as she looked closer, the stones on her ring still sparkling under the light.

"That's quite the ring, Princess. An Alderaanian diamond and Corellian emeralds? Quite a beautiful combination together really". Mon looked towards Leia. "Is this a present from General Solo?"

Leia was stunned at the fact that Mon had so easily identified the stones, slightly uncomfortable at the fact Mon was holding her fingers while asking her about Han.

"Yes…" She stumbled over her words, unsure of how to tell Mon the new status of her and Han's relationship. It seemed awkward to her to discuss personal matters with Mon, their meetings always strictly professional and business related. "General Solo asked for my hand in marriage. We are engaged".

"Oh, Princess! I'm so happy for you both!" Mon exclaimed, letting Leia's had free from her grasp.

"Thank you" she replied her cheeks blushing, unable to contain her smile.

"I'm sorry for keeping you. I'm sure you wish to get back to your fiancé". Leia shifted in her chair at Mon's casual way of referring to Han for the first time as something other than General Solo.

"It's no trouble, Mon. I will finish these budget spreadsheets in preparation for the next meeting".

"Princess, don't worry about the spreadsheets for the time being. Enjoy yourself for a moment, you are engaged!".

Mon rose from her chair smiling at her, making her way back to her data pad she had left at the head of the table. Leia was stunned at Mon's dismissal of work for her. She almost felt like she had done something wrong, never having seen Mon be so relaxed about things. _We are also not in the middle of a war anymore_ she reminded herself. She still hadn't adjusted to that fact, after so many years of turmoil.

* * *

Leia made her way up the ramp to the Falcon and found Han working inside. A hatch in the floor was open and he was inside of it, a tangle of wires hanging in front of him. He freed a single wire and picked up a hydrospanner. He placed the wire against a metal bracket and began tightening it down to secure it. She walked towards the edge of the hold and he looked up from his work towards her as she sat down on the metal floor grating.

"Hello sweetheart" he said as he set his tool down and placed his hands on the edge of the opening, pulling himself up enough from the hold to kiss her.

"What are you doing down there?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Got bored so started re-wiring some things". He knew she didn't care for the technical specifics of his repairs. "Anything interesting happen in your meeting?" He asked as he turned back to his work, his hands untangling another wire from the mess and pulling it into the connector, screwing it down tightly.

"Not really. Typical discussions about how the Alliance needs to reorganize the budget. Although Mon and I spoke afterwards". She looked down at Han, she loved watching him work. There was something so attractive to her seeing him intensely focused on whatever repair he was doing, his fingers covered in dirt and grease, his strong hands securing bolts back into place.

Han was curious. Usually when Leia and Mon had discussions, it lead to them jumping to another planet or being assigned to a mission. He stopped his work for a moment and glanced up to her.

"Where is she sending us now?" He asked, his voice hinted at a mixture of annoyance and disappointment.

"Nowhere actually". Her thumb twirled her ring on her finger as she spoke, a new habit of hers. "She, um, she noticed the ring and asked me about it".

Han cocked an eyebrow at her, trying to imagine the reaction Mon had to the news. He knew Mon respected him enough as a General but was slightly confused at the fact that Mon had raised the issue at all with Leia. He had never heard Leia mention Mon ever asking personal details about their lives.

"And?" he asked.

"I told her we were engaged. She was actually overjoyed at the news".

"I'm surprised. I always felt like she didn't mind the fact we were together, but she also never completely enjoyed the idea either".

"She never shows her emotions about anything, it's her job" Leia casually reminded Han.

Han had finished what he was working on and pulled himself from the hold to sit next to Leia. He wiped his hands against his blood stripes, already smeared with various streaks of grease. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her braids. She had returned to her normal hairstyle, tightly braided and pinned. He missed her casual flowing locks from the days prior.

"I have some news for you too".

She rested her head against his shoulder, taking in the mixture of dirt and musk that she had become so familiar with.

"I need to do a couple of supply runs. I know Luke was planning on a few over the next couple of days and I need some credits".

She picked her head up and looked at him. _Really?_ _He wants to leave so soon?_ she thought to herself.

"You couldn't just play a few games of sabacc here on base? There's got to be a couple of pilots you haven't completely wiped out yet" she jokingly suggested to him.

She wasn't ready for Han to leave yet. She figured she would at least have a few more days to enjoy his company before they were assigned to something.

Han laughed at her suggestion. "Sweetheart, are you actually encouraging me to gamble instead of actually work?"

She giggled. "I'm just kidding with you. I understand". She twirled her ring again and couldn't help to think to herself that his need for the supply runs was sitting under her fingertips. "How long will you be gone for?"

"Couple of days. Luke has an Alliance cargo ship lined up so you can stay here with the Falcon".

She kissed his cheek before he rose, stretching his hand out to her to help her from the floor.

* * *

Leia stirred in her sleep, feeling Han's weight sit down at the edge of the bed. It was still dark in the bunk. He kissed her gently as she woke, his hand resting against her side.

"Sorry it's so early, sweetheart. Luke and I are leaving" he explained, his voice quiet.

She brushed her hair from her face as she looked towards Han, her mind still foggy with sleep. "Where are you going?"

"Hosnian system. I'll be back in a few days". He leaned in to kiss her again. "I love you".

"I love you too" she replied as Han rose from the bed and walked from the bunk, palming the door closed behind him.

Leia rolled to her back and looked up at the ceiling. She could hear Han's boot steps fading in the distance. She already missed him and he wasn't even off the ship yet. She pulled the blankets tight up around her shoulders. The bed felt empty in his absence. She drifted off to sleep again.

Leia woke again a few hours later. She at first had forgotten that Han had left, rolling to her side half expecting to see her handsome scoundrel laying next to her. The bed was empty as she remembered Han waking her earlier to say goodbye. She sighed as she pulled the blankets from her and rose from the bed. She made her way to the galley, pressing the button on the caf machine. It clicked on and a slow stream of steaming caf began to pour into the mug. The machine clicked off and she took the mug to the lounge, setting it on the holo chess table. She shivered a bit, her bare feet on the metal grating sending a chill thru her. She made her way to the bunk and pulled a blanket from the bed, wrapping it around her as she picked up her data pad from the table next to the bed.

She sat down at the holo chess table, crossing her legs under her on the chair. She took a long sip of her caf and turned on her data pad, pulling up a spreadsheet of numbers. She placed her mug down and stared blankly at the jumble of figures in front of her for a moment before clicking onto another screen. She typed "wedding dresses" into the search feature and a screen with hundreds of pictures of dresses appeared before her eyes. She scrolled thru them, every shape and style featured. She continued to browse the photos, noticing every dress was some form of white or ivory. She tapped the screen again and typed "Corellian wedding dresses". Another screen loaded, the images now a sea of various shades of greens. She studied an image of one dress in particular, a long emerald green gown adorned with a lace overlay. She clicked on the image and an article along with the picture appeared. She began to read:

A traditional Corellian wedding gown is often floor length and green in color. Corellians regard the color as a symbol of luck and associate it with a sense of pride of their culture. A Corellian bride will often choose her gown based on her place of childhood and social status. Rural or poorer brides will often wear plain gowns while brides from larger towns and cities will opt for more extravagant dresses.

She reached for her caf again, sipping it as she processed the information she had just read. _What is a princess marrying a former smuggler supposed to wear according to Corellian traditions?_ she mused to herself. She scrolled thru the page, unread words passing across the screen until her attention focused on a certain paragraph:

Corellian men who marry off worlders are often regarded within families as the black bantha. Corellian families, especially wealthier ones, take great pride in keeping bloodlines pure with Corellian blood. While ideas of off worlder marriages have begun to relax on the planet in recent years, many Corellians still hold to the idea that the only types of Corellian men who marry outside of the culture are smugglers, criminals and thieves.

She set her mug down on the table and blankly looked at the screen. She had never thought that Han's culture would disapprove of their marriage in such a way. She understood the ideals behind the planet's way of thinking. If she was still on Alderaan, it would be an unspoken rule that she should be married to someone of a good upbringing from a strong Alderaanian family, not a Corellian with a shadowed past. _To the hells with that type of thinking_ she thought to herself as she closed the article.

* * *

Han and Luke were a few hours from the Hosnian system. Han had allowed Luke to pilot the Alliance ship, figuring he'd give the kid a chance to pilot something to forget about his request to get behind the controls of his beloved Falcon. Han sat back in the co-pilots chair as Luke set the ship into automatic controls. Luke looked over to Han and studied him for a second. Han had kicked his foot up onto the edge of the control panel, his long leg stretched out casually as he reclined in his seat.

"So you ask Leia the big question yet?" Luke asked.

Han chuckled. "Actually, kid, I did. Wasn't planning on it but she busted me coming back yesterday".

"I knew she would. How mad was she?" Luke laughed.

"Why didn't you tell me that? You could have saved me some trouble of having to deal with her being completely pissed at me at first".

"Because I sensed that everything would be alright in the end" Luke replied, a slight smirk on his face.

Han rolled his eyes as Luke as he laughed. He had adapted to the idea of the force, a far cry from his original thoughts that it was nothing more than a hokey religion that used ancient weapons. He still wished that Luke would give him a heads up on some things though, it would make some things with Leia so much easier.

"Congratulations. We will have to celebrate when we get back" Luke declared, slapping Han on the shoulder, happy that his friend was soon going to be family.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer:**_ _Just a heads up that this chapter contains sexual situations and language. I will give you my normal fair warning that if this isn't your thing, feel free to jump ahead in the story._

Leia hadn't slept well in the nights since Han had left. His absence from besides her in bed had made her toss and turn, unable to fall asleep for hours. She rose the in morning tired and annoyed that she couldn't get any rest without him. She had taken to working on the reports Mon had instructed her to not worry about, mostly out of sheer boredom. She didn't mind the work, it was a good way to keep her busy, pouring over the numbers for hours kept her mind from wandering.

Leia hadn't bothered to get dressed for the day. In Han's absence, she had taken to sleeping in his over sized shirts. The pale fabric loose around her body, the hemline hung over her thighs, almost reaching to her knees. She felt secure in it, like she still had part of him with her. She made her way to the holo chess table, a fresh mug of caf in her hands. The table had become somewhat of a makeshift office for her, the tabletop now covered in papers and various odds and ends from her work. She nudged a stack of papers out of her way to make room for her to set down her mug. She slid into a chair and turned on her data pad, staring blankly at the screen. She began tapping at the screen, adding figures together in an attempt to organize the data.

A few hours had past, what was left of her caf had gone cold as the mug now sat unattended on the table. Leia sighed as she tapped her data pad once more. She had developed a slight headache, her temples ached as she stared at a column of numbers, trying to find a solution to a deficit of credits because of pilot's fuel usage. The faint noise of foot steps on the Falcon's ramp interrupted her thoughts. _There's no way anyone could be coming up the ramp right now_ she thought as she shook her head, dismissing the idea. The noise continued, growing louder. She contemplated dashing to the bunk to grab her blaster, her idea interrupted as Han appeared in the doorway.

"Han! What are you doing back?" she asked excitedly as she jumped from her chair and into his arms.

He kissed her deeply, his arms wrapping around her waist, lifting her off of her feet for a moment as their tongues met. He set her down, breaking from the kiss and taking a long look at her. _She's wearing my shirt and she looks damn sexy in it_ he thought to himself.

"I missed you my princess. Luke is with the ship, they are unloading cargo right now but then we are headed out again. I've only got an hour or so…"

His words were cut short as Leia jumped into his arms again, catching him by surprise. Her bare legs wrapped around his waist as he quickly placed his arms under the back of her thighs to hold on to her. She began to kiss him, deep with passion. She pulled on his bottom lip gently with her teeth, her brown eyes meeting his.

"Only an hour you said?" she giggled. She playfully kissed his neck, nipping at it gently before returning to his lips, kissing him deeply again. She couldn't contain her excitement of the fact he had surprised her.

"Does Luke know you are gone?" she asked, her voice breathless.

"I told him I just need to run back here for a minute" he replied.

"That doesn't give us much time". She pulled firmly on Han's shirt collar. "Come here you scoundrel" she demanded. Her lips met his. She was barely able to contain herself. She wanted him. He returned her kisses with a fevered intensity.

She could feel him take a step towards the holo chess table, her body still in his arms. He paused their kiss for moment and looked over her shoulder at the mess on the table.

"Is any of this important?" he asked, his breath rising and falling quickly. He wanted her, every second passing his need for her grew.

"Not really" Leia lied. She didn't care about the papers at the moment. All she wanted was her Corellian, Alliance budget be damned.

With a single motion, Han let an arm go from Leia, his other still holding on to her as she sucked his earlobe playfully. He knocked the papers clear from the table. The sheets of numbers fluttered to the floor. Her lips returned to his and began to kiss him again as he laid her onto the table top. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she felt his hands slide up against the outside of her thighs, pushing the fabric of the shirt towards her waist. He felt his lips leave hers as he kneeled in front of her, pushing her legs apart and immediately running his tongue across her folds. She let out a moan as he swirled his tongue against her, her hips arching off the table. She intertwined her fingers thru his hair, tugging at it as he ate her out furiously. She felt weak with pleasure, barely able to think straight at the moment. Her stomach burned as he continued against her. She was unable to breath, her legs shivered as she arched her back and let go.

"Ah gods, Han…." she managed to utter as her body exploded, her fingers still clinging to Han's hair. She loosen her grip on him, her head spinning as he pulled away from her.

Han stood back up for a moment to undo his blaster belt, tossing it aside to a chair and unbuttoned his pants. He leaned above Leia, still attempting to catch her breath. His hands wrapped around her hips and in a single effortless pull slid her body across the tabletop towards him. He leaned towards her and kissed her as she felt him press against her. He easily slid into her as he steadied himself, his fingers holding her hips as he slowly worked in and out of her. She let out a moan as his body began picking up speed, she could feel her back sliding against the table with each thrust, her hands against the table top trying to hold herself steady. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck as he thrust deeper into her, pulling him closer to her. She stole a quick kiss from his lips, her deep brown eyes meeting his.

"Don't you ever stop, flyboy" she demanded to him.

"Just like that?" he asked, thrusting into her particularity hard. He could feel her fingertips dig slightly into the back of his neck, her body tightening around him.

"Mmhmm. Fuck me hard just like that" she ordered to him.

"Gods, I love when you say things like that". He had been trying to pace himself but her demands made it almost impossible for him to hold back any longer. There was something about her voice, the way it became this sultry sexy tone drove him crazy. He pounded into her as hard as he possibly could, her loud moans only turning him on more.

"Leia, I'm going to…" his words unfinished as he felt her tighten around him, her orgasm meeting his. His breath was heavy as he looked at her, her brown eyes glassy as she exhaled. Her hair fell around her and spread out across the table, his shirt had pushed up around her body. He leaned in close her to kiss her gently before pulling himself off of her. He stood for a second, re-buckling his pants. He extended his hand to her, her fingers intertwining in his as he pulled her up off the table. Leia sat at the edge of the table, her legs dangling off the edge. She reached for the hemline of her shirt and pulled it down over her, smoothing the fabric against the tops of her thighs. Han looked around the lounge.

"Sorry about the mess" he chuckled.

Sheets of paper had fallen all over the chairs and floor as if they were confetti. Leia looked over her shoulder and smiled at the sight of it all.

"I'm pretty sure Mon would kill me if she saw her reports like this" she laughed as she turned back towards Han.

Han smiled at her as he leaned towards her and kissed her forehead.

"I need to take a quick shower and get back to Luke. I'm sorry, sweetheart, I wish I could stay longer" he stated, his hazel eyes hinted at his sadness. All he wanted to do at the moment was hold her close in his arms and kiss her, never letting her go.

Leia nodded as she hopped off the edge of the table, her bare feet softly landing on the metal floor. She understood that he couldn't stay, another supply run was crucial to the Alliance, as well as to Han's credit supply at the moment. Han took a step closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tightly against him before letting go. He disappeared down the hallway to the refresher.

Leia bent down and began picking up pieces of paper from the floor as she heard the shower water switch on, a sadness coming over her knowing that in a few minutes he would be gone again and she would be left alone with nothing else besides the reports to occupy her time.

* * *

She placed the last of the fallen papers back onto the table as Han entered back into the lounge. He pulled his shirt over his head and ran his fingers thru his damp hair. He embraced Leia in a tight hug as she nuzzled her chin into his chest. She took a deep breath, his familiar scent of dirt and musk mixed with the clean scent of soap. He loosened his embrace on her and placed his hand on her chin, tilting her face up towards his. She looked up at him, his hazel eyes looking deep into hers.

"I don't want to have to leave again" he said, his voice heavy with disappointment.

"I don't want you to go either but you have to" She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

"I love you my princess. I'll be back in a few days". He pulled her close for one last moment.

"I love you too" she whispered as his arms let her go of her body.

Han turned to make his way down the ramp. He was never good at saying goodbyes. He knew if he lingered any longer, he might have never let her go, choosing to keep her in his arms as long as he possibly could. Leia leaned up against the doorway to the Falcon's ramp and watched him walk away, the sound of his boot steps against the metal grating fading into the distance. She let out a long sigh _I always hate watching you leave_ she thought to herself as she turned back inside of the Falcon.


	7. Chapter 7

Luke made the final adjustments to the controls as Han slid into the co-pilot's seat. They were headed back to base on Chandrila, the final supply run of their trip about to be completed upon their return. The ship roared as they took off into the sky, cutting thru thick clouds of the planet's atmosphere before entering into the darkness of space. The ship continued its ascent, easily gaining towards the cruising altitude in which they could make the jump to hyperspace. The planet glowed beneath them, fading into the distance slowly. _This should be an easy flight home_ Han thought to himself as he looked out into the vast distance in front of them.

His thoughts were quickly cut short as a loud bang shook the ship, the metal hull vibrating around them. The cockpit shook violently as Luke grasped the ship's controls tightly.

"What in the hells was that?" Luke yelled.

"Someone is firing at us. Get up!" Han bellowed back at Luke as he jumped from the co-pilots chair. Luke quickly leapt from the pilot's chair, allowing Han to take over the controls. His arm stretched above him and flipped a set of toggle switches, a long row of lights on the panel flickering to life.

"We're still too close to planet. We can't make the jump to lightspeed yet. We're going to have to try and lose them until we are free of the gravitational pull" Han exclaimed, his brow furrowed.

The ship took another hit from a laser blast, rocking violently. The cabin lights flickered, darkness enveloping them for a moment before the cockpit re-illuminated. Several buttons on the control panel began flashing, a loud beeping echoing thru the cockpit. Han slammed his palm against a row of flashing buttons, the warning alarm ceasing abruptly. Silence fell around them for a moment before the roar of ship engine overtook them from above. A small freighter could now be seen in front of them, speeding into the distance. Luke and Han both stared at the ship, intensively studying it for a moment.

"That's not an Imperial ship. There's no markings. Who is after us?" Luke's voice was heavy with worry and confusion.

Han studied the ship for a second longer as it arched in the distance in front of them, turning to make its way back in their direction.

"Pirates..." Han muttered, a look of concern crossing his face. "They're coming back to attack. Luke, get to the gunner hold!" he yelled out.

Luke turned quickly and sprinted from the cabin as Han ripped a headset from a hook on the control panel. He placed it on and could hear radio static. Luke's voice cracked thru the white noise, alerting Han he had reached his position.

"Han, can you read me?"

"Loud and clear. Alright, kid. Deflector shield is up. You got to fire on them as soon as you can. They're going to play dirty" Han instructed to Luke.

Han was all too familiar with how pirates operated. He knew that they would try to disable to ship enough and then seize the opportunity to board. _I hope to gods this Alliance ship can pull off a miracle._ He wished he had his own ship, he knew the Falcon could easily outrun them, having done it many times before in his smuggling days.

The enemy ship was approaching them quickly as Luke fired off the first round in their direction, laser blasts hitting the top the the ship, small explosions igniting in the dark sky. The pirates returned blasts towards them as Han maneuvered out of the direct line of fire. The Alliance ship felt clunky and slow compared to the Falcon, Han struggling to make the quick turns he was accustomed to being able to do. Luke narrowed his eyes before squeezing off another few rounds, the pirates ship was agile and easily dodged the laser fire.

"We're going to have to try and make a break for it, kid" Han shouted over the head set. "There's no way we are going to get a direct hit on them".

"Alright. I'll keep on them to try and buy us some time" Luke responded, his voice interrupted by the sound of the laser cannon as he continued to fire in the pirate's direction.

Han attempted to veer starboard before regaining speed to get them out of there. The engines whined loudly as the ship rocked to the side, shaking violently. They had taken a serious hit, the ship no longer able to maintain altitude. Han felt his stomach drop as he pushed against the controls as hard as he could, the ship's engines sputtering around him. _Come on you hunk of junk hold it together_ his mind screamed. The control panel flashed various colors of warning signals in front of him as he tried to regain control of the ship.

"Start the landing cycle, there's no way we are going to re-gain any altitude" Luke yelled over the radio.

Han reached up above him and flipped a switch, activating the cycle, placing little faith in that it would do anything to save them. The engines groaned as the darkness of space faded above them as they began to re-enter the planet's atmosphere, clouds swirling around them. The ship showed little sign of slowing down as it began crashing thru the tree tops, the loud sound of branches scraping and snapping against the metal as the ship tore it's way towards the surface.

 _I don't want to die right now. I finally have something to live for_ , thoughts of Leia flashed thru Han's racing mind. The ship crashed into the planet's surface with a massive thud. Han's forehead smashed against the control panel in front of him. His ears rang as pain washed over him, his head throbbing as silence fell around them. Han pushed himself back into the pilot's chair, dazed as he looked around him. His hand reached to his forehead, his fingers feeling a deep split in his skin. He pulled his hand away and looked down at his fingers. His fingertips were covered in blood. His head spun as he tried to make sense of things for a moment.

"Luke! Where are you?" Han cried out as he attempted to stand up. A wave of dizziness overtook him, his hands steadying himself against the control panel. He picked his head up and took a deep breath. _I have to find out if Luke is alright._ He staggered from the cockpit and made his way to the gunning station. He saw Luke slumped over the controls. _Oh gods._ He grabbed the back of Luke's shirt, pulling his motionless body back in the chair.

"Wake up, Luke! Come on buddy!" Han screamed, his hand firmly tapping against Luke's cheek. "Luke!".

Luke's eyelids parted slightly, his body returning to consciousness. He let out a low groin as he shifted his legs in front of him. Luke's hand reached towards his eyes and rubbed them, a dazed and confused look on his face.

"Where are we?" Luke asked, his voice sounding as if it was a million parsecs away.

Han stared at him, his heart racing in his chest. _He's alive_ he thought, trying to calm himself down. His head still was spinning as he stepped back from Luke, pressing his back against the wall to steady himself.

"We got shot down, kid" he muttered, his speech slurred slightly. A wave of dizziness overtook him as he fought to remain standing.

Luke picked his head up from the chair and looked towards Han. He noticed Han was leaning against the wall, his head hanging towards the floor, his body slightly swaying, fighting to stay upright.

"Han, are you okay?" Luke asked, his concern growing as he noticed drops of blood scattered across the floor of the gunner hold.

Han picked his head slightly up towards Luke in attempt to tell him he was fine, even though he could barely see straight. Luke saw Han's forehead smeared in scarlet blood, a deep bruise forming now on his right cheek, a swirl of deep purple and blue.

"Shit, Han, you're bleeding" Luke exclaimed as he pulled himself from the chair.

"I know" Han mumbled as his hand reached behind him to the wall, attempting to steady himself.

Luke grabbed Han under his arms and guided him as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Luke looked around the gunner station for anything he could use to suppress Han's bleeding. He looked down to the edge of his shirt and grabbed it in his fingers, tearing the fabric quickly and pressing it against Han's forehead.

Han winced, his eyes squeezing tightly shut as Luke applied pressure against the wound. Luke knelt in front of Han for a few minutes before lifting the makeshift rag from his forehead. He pulled the bloodied fabric away and examined Han's wound.

"Looks like the bleeding has slowed down. How are you feeling?" Luke asked.

"Like complete bantha shit" Han weakly chuckled. He no longer felt dizzy, but his body now ached all over. He could only imagine how hard he must have slammed into the control panel upon impact for such a deep ache to already be setting in. He stretched his legs out in front of him as Luke sat down on the floor across from him.

"You alright?" Han asked. He looked at Luke and didn't see any noticeable wounds on him.

"Yeah, I'm fine". Luke replied.

"We need to get out of here. Where's your comm?" Han had a sense of urgency in his voice. He knew the pirates would find the downed ship soon enough.

Luke fumbled for his pocket and pulled out his comm. Han stretched out his hand for it as Luke shot him a forbidding look.

"Han, take it easy. I'll take care of this" Luke switched the comm on and spoke calmly into it.

"General Rieeken, please respond, it's Commander Skywalker".

A crackle of static broke thru as Rieeken's voice responded.

"Commander Skywalker, we lost all transmissions to your ship. Everything okay?"

"We've been shot down. We need help".

"Are you and General Solo injured? Where is your location?" Rieekan quickly asked.

The hum of a ship engine above the trees echoed around them. Han looked up and grabbed Luke's arm, pulling him from the floor with him.

"They're back. Run, kid!" Han yelled.

Luke released the button on the comm, cutting the transmission short and taking off after Han down the hallway of the ship. They rounded the corner and noticed the metal hull of the ship was crushed inwards, blocking their exit. Peaks of light poked thru the twisted metal as Luke reached for his light saber, activated it, and pressed it against the tangle mess of metal. The metal glowed red as he quickly drew the blade against it before deactivating the weapon. Luke took a step back and Han kicked his boot against it, an opening appearing in front of them. Luke jumped thru first, followed by Han, both men running as fast as they could thru the forest that surrounded them.

Fallen branches and leaves crunched under their boots as they sped thru the woods. They ran towards an area of thick underbrush, the trees becoming closer together, large ferns and bushes now surrounded them. The hum from the pirate's ship faded in the distance as they made their way further into the thick underbrush, their running slowing as Luke and Han pushed aside branches to make their way deeper into the covering. Luke spotted a large fallen tree in front of them and pointed silently, looking over his shoulder at Han. Han nodded as he followed Luke as he picked up his pace. The men climbed over the weathered moss covered bark of the fallen tree and kneeled down behind the large trunk, their chests rising and falling quickly, attempting to catch their breaths.

"Why'd they come back?" Luke quietly whispered to Han.

"They wouldn't go to all that trouble of shooting us down to go home empty handed". Han replied, his voice low.

Han rose slightly and peered over the top of the log, his fingers curled around his blaster. He could make out thru the branches that the pirate's ship had now landed in a clearing near the wrecked ship. Figures were moving around wreckage in the distance. They were far enough away that he could not hear their voices or make out any specific details of their appearances. He watched them for a moment longer, noticing that some of the figures already had crates of the Alliance cargo in their arms, walking towards their own ship with them. He knelt back down behind the fallen tree and looked at Luke.

"Hopefully they just take what they can get and leave" Han whispered.

"Aren't they going to wonder where the crew of the ship is?" Luke asked.

"Probably not. We aren't worth anything to them". Han hoped he was correct. He wasn't sure what the distant figures were capable of, if they would even bother to look for them. He had encountered pirates before, but always had managed to escape before the Falcon ever ended up in this situation.

Han and Luke remained silent as the minutes passed, each one longer than the last. The sound of a ship engine roared in the distance. Han peeked over the edge again and noticed the figures had disappeared from the wreckage. _They must have gotten all they could_ he thought to himself. The pirate's ship hovered above the ground. Han crouched back behind their cover. The sound of the ship grew louder, the leaves on the trees above them began to swirl and rustle as a strong downdraft from the approaching ship stirred the air around them.

"Get low" Han ordered to Luke as he grabbed Luke's sleeve and pulled him down towards the forest floor. Han lay as close to the ground as he possibly could, the sound of the ship rumbling directly over them now was almost deafening. The ship's engines let out a long whine before deepening, the ship shooting above the treetops before disappearing completely into the cloudy atmosphere.

Luke lifted himself from the ground, the front of his tattered shirt now covered in mud. Han pulled himself up, equally as dirty as Luke's and looked towards the sky.

Luke picked his head up at the sky in the direction Han was looking in, squinting as he studied the clouds above them. "Are they gone?"

"I think so" Han replied, breathing a slight sigh of relief. He turned and climbed over the fallen tree trunk that had provided them cover and began to walk back thru the underbrush towards their downed ship. He paused for a moment, his view now clearer of the wreckage and took in the sight of how bad of condition the ship actually was in. The front of the ship was angled into the dirt, the damp earth spattered up against the sides. Twisted metal swayed in the breeze, the top and sides of the hull marred in laser burns.

Han looked behind him towards Luke who had made his way closer, now only a few feet behind him, his steps slowing as he took in the wreckage.

"I can't believe we are okay" Luke sighed, the full effect of how unlikely the odds were that they had both walked away relatively unharmed from such a crash setting in.

"You and me both" Han replied.

Luke fumbled for his pocket again, retrieving his comm.

"General Rieekan, do you copy?"

A hiss of static broke thru from the comm as Rieekan's voice returned the transmission.

"Commander Skywalker! What is going on?" Rieekan's voice was heavy with concern.

"General Solo and I are fine. We need a transport".

"What condition is your ship in?" Rieekan asked.

"Totaled" Luke responded, taking a quick glance in the direction of the ship, still shocked.

Luke finished his conversation, sending Rieekan the rough coordinates of where they had landed before deactivating the comm. Han and Luke were left in silence, other than than a gentle breeze swaying the trees above them and leaves stirring on the forest floor.

* * *

The sound of a ship's engine roared in the distance as Luke responded to his comm. A pilot's voice rang out

"Commander Skywalker? Do you copy? General Solo? This is Green 7. Do you copy?"

"Glad to finally hear from you!" Luke responded as he looked towards the sky, making out an Alliance ship above the trees. He waved an arm above him, hoping the pilot would notice them thru the thick tree cover below.

"Hold on for a minute, I will circle around to a clearing to land for you" the pilot radioed back.

* * *

The Alliance rescue ship returned to the base on Chandrila safely. Han followed Luke down the ramp into hangar, happy to be back in a familiar space. Han's head still throbbed, the front of his shirt still damp with mud, drops of dried blood peppering various spots of the dirty fabric. His whole body was sore, his cheek puffy and bruised, now a deep purple beneath the swelling. Luke paused and looked towards Han, noticing how beat up he looked under the strong hanger lights.

"You want me to come with you to the med bay?" Luke inquired, concerned with the condition Han was in.

"Nah. I want a hot shower and a long nap on my own ship right now" Han responded.

Luke nodded. "I'll check up on you later" he added, hoping Han would take him up on his offer to receive medical attention. He knew trying to convince Han of anything that was of no interest to him was a losing battle and watched as Han turned and made his way towards the Falcon, a slight limp in his step.

Han walked up the ramp of the Falcon, his feet heavy under him, every joint in his body aching, his temples still throbbing. He walked into the lounge and called out for Leia, hoping she was somewhere nearby.

"Leia? Are you here?" His voice echoed thru the empty ship. _She's not here...Why is she gone? I wish my princess was here._

He began down the hallway to the bunk, longing to just fall into his comfortable bed, forgetting all about a shower. Even though it was a short distance, it seemed like it took an eternity for him to reach the doorway. He palmed open the door to the bunk, kicking his boots off before falling into bed. He hardly cared that he was covered in mud and blood, the soft pillows were too welcoming for him to leave them, a deep sleep quickly overcoming him.

* * *

Leia made her way across the hanger and up the Falcon's ramp. She entered the lounge and immediately noticed caked mud and bits of leaves across the metal grating of the floor. _What in the hells?_ she thought to herself as she followed the clumps and smears of dirt down the hallway to the bunk. She pulled her blaster out of her bag and wrapped her fingers around the handle, her pointer finger laying gently across the trigger. She was unsure of what might be waiting on the other side of the door, her free hand slowly reaching up to palm the door open. She pointed her blaster in front of her as the door hissed open. She relaxed slightly as she saw Han face down in the pillows, snoring loudly. His body was diagonal on the bed, his legs dangling from the edges. She set her blaster down on the table along with her bag as she stepped closer to him, noticing that the back of his shirt was dirty and tattered, as if it had been snagged against branches.

She sat at the edge of the bed and placed her hand against the back of his shoulder, shaking him slightly. His head rolled slightly to the side from the pillows, exposing part of his injured face. A wave of shock overcame her, her hand shaking his shoulder again, this time harder in order to break him from his sleep.

"Han! Wake up!" she declared, a look of worry crossing her face.

He let out a low groan as he rolled to his side, pulling his legs onto the bed fully. Leia could now see the full condition of his injury. Dried blood was caked against his forehead, his cheek swollen and discolored. His eyes opened slightly, blinking slowly in the dim light. He seemed slightly disoriented as he looked towards her. Leia was stunned at his condition, her mind racing of what could have possibly happened that led him to look the way he did, wondering if Luke shared a similar fate as him. She placed her hand against Han's arm and looked intently at him for a second. She searched within herself. _Luke is alright, I can feel it_ she thought to herself, a slight peace coming over her. Her attention focused back onto Han.

"Don't move, I'm going to get the med kit" she instructed to him as she quickly rose from the bed.

She dashed down the hallway to the storage closet. Han lay there, his mind foggy. He attempted to stretch his legs back out, his muscles screaming in pain as he moved. He rolled to his back as his fingers fumbled for a blanket, his body shivered even though the bunk was warm. He gave up his attempt for the blanket, it being too far away from him to get a good grasp on it. He raised his hands up to his forehead to push away his hair, his fingertips brushing against his wound, pain shooting thru his head, reminding him that he was injured. Leia stepped back into the bunk and saw Han had shifted his position in the bed. She sat back down on the edge of the bed near him, the med kit in her lap. She glanced over at Han.

"I thought I told you not to move" she stated, her hand reaching out for his arm to keep him from brushing up against his injury again.

He let out another groan and let his arms fall to his sides, obeying her command to keep still. He looked towards her, a weak smile forming. _She's here, my princess is here_ his mind finally awake enough to process his surroundings.

"Leia…" he muttered, trying to shift himself closer to her.

"Lay still" she instructed to him, her fingers fumbling thru the med kit, pulling out a cloth and a small bottle of liquid. She unscrewed the cap of the bottle and tilted it into the cloth, letting the liquid soak into the fabric for a moment. She set the bottle on the table next to the bed and turned to Han. She dabbed his forehead gently, clearing away the dried blood, exposing a deep gash in his skin. He winced, the liquid stung against the wound. He took a deep breath and let himself relax as she continued to clean him up.

Leia folded the cloth in her hands and set it on the table next to the bottle. She reached into the med kit once again, pulling out a tube of bacta. She looked at Han and let out a small smile as she brushed back his hair. She noticed his forehead was cool under her touch.

"Are you cold?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Yeah…" he weakly nodded. He felt helpless as Leia effortlessly pulled the blanket over him that he had struggled himself to reach.

Leia squeezed bacta from the tube into her fingers and passed them gently over his forehead and onto his cheek before wiping the excess from her fingers. She smiled gently at him.

"That should help". She set the bacta tube back into the med kit and placed the kit onto the floor. She looked back at him, her normally strong and invincible Corellian now bruised and exhausted looking, huddled in a blanket.

"Thank you, my princess" Han muttered.

"You took care of me after Bakura, I have to take care of you now" she replied, her voice gentle.

She still wondered what exactly had happened, her mind had already come up with a thousand horrible situations that led him to ending up this way while tending to his wounds. She leaned towards him and tenderly kissed him, carefully avoiding the bruising.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"We got shot down by pirates and crashed" he replied.

Leia's eyes grew wide, never imagining that was the cause, her worry for him deepening at the thought of the terror Luke and him must have felt as their ship plummeted back towards the surface of a planet. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, still in shock from his response, amazed that him and Luke walked away from such a horrific event.

"Oh gods, Han. How did that even happen?" she questioned, trying to still make sense of it all.

His mind was fuzzy with fatigue as he started to explain the events that had played out. He didn't get far into the story before his voice began to trail off, a look of complete exhaustion crossing his face.

"Han, it's okay" Leia interrupted him. She could tell he was struggling to stay awake. "You can tell me later, you need to rest. I'll come back in a bit to check on you". She tucked the edge of the blanket around his shoulders.

"I love you my princess" he faintly murmured, his eyes closing as his breathing deepened as he drifted into sleep.

Leia whispered back "I love you too" as she rose from the edge of the bed, palming the light sensor off before exiting the room, leaving him to sleep.

Leia made her way back to the lounge, her thoughts still racing as she sat at the holo chess table. She pulled her feet up onto the edge of the chair, her arms wrapping around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees. She let out a long sigh and sat in silence for a minute, trying to assure herself that everything was okay.

Footsteps echoed against the ramp to the Falcon. Leia picked her head up and looked towards the doorway, Luke appearing in the doorway. He looked to be freshly showered, his hair still slightly damp.

"Leia! Oh thank gods, I'm glad to see you" Luke exclaimed as he walked towards the table. Leia looked up and him and smiled, thankful to see her brother unharmed.

"Where's Han?" Luke asked as he sat across from Leia, a look of concern on his face.

"He's sleeping. He's pretty beat up" she replied.

"I know. I tried to get him to go to the med center when we got back but he insisted on coming back here alone".

"You know you can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do" she smiled, being all too familiar with how stubborn Han could possibly be at times.

Leia studied Luke's face. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Han got it worse then me, he was up in the cockpit. I was down in the gunner hold, I think I was just knocked out cold". Luke couldn't exactly remember the details of the crash either, the only thing coming to his mind was knowing that they were in trouble and then coming to as Han shook him. Everything else was still a blur.

"You want me to stick around for awhile?" Luke asked.

"That would be nice" she replied, thankful to be in Luke's company, the knot of worry for Han in her stomach relaxing slightly at her brother's gesture to stay with her.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note:**_ _Sorry for the delay in getting this up. I've been dealing with a bunch of real life stuff lately and haven't had much time to write. In fact, I think I'm suffering from a bit of a writer's block to be honest.  
_

Leia picked her head up from her arms and looked around, taking in her surroundings. She had fallen asleep at the holo chess table. Luke was asleep across from her, stretched out on a bench near the table, softly snoring. She gathered her thoughts as she made her way to the bunk, her mind still foggy with sleep. She had gotten little rest the night before, talking late into the night with Luke, every few hours checking in on Han, always finding him peacefully in a deep sleep. _I must have just dozed off at the table at some point out of sheer exhaustion_ she thought to herself as she palmed the door the bunk, finding Han still fast asleep. She walked to the bedside and sat softly on the edge, looking down at her handsome Coreillan. He stirred in his sleep, his body shifting under the blankets, a slight groan as he woke. Leia smiled at him as he looked up at her.

"Good morning, my handsome scoundrel. How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

"Better if I had my princess in my arms" he replied as he stretched out his arms towards her waist, pulling her close.

Leia shifted herself to lay in his arms and looked up at him, his face still battered. Han kissed her forehead and looked at her intently.

"Let's go to Corellia" he whispered.

"Right now? Why?" She couldn't help to think that the crash might have shaken something loose in his brain. _How could he possibly want to just jump up and run off as if nothing happened yesterday? Apparently falling out of the sky into a planet wasn't enough to phase him._

"Because I want to marry you" he stated rather matter of factly.

"I know that laser brain, you proposed to me already" she giggled as she lifted her hand up and wiggled her finger, her ring shining in the dim light.

"No, right now. Let's get married" his voice changed to a serious tone, as he took her hand, wrapping his fingers thru hers.

"Han, we can't just get married! Nothing's planned" She paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to rationalize his request. "Chewie's still on Kashyyyk. It wouldn't be the same".

Han looked at her like a sad, lost bantha cub. He put on his best pout, hoping to sway her to agree to his idea.

"Are you saying you don't want to marry me?" he asked quietly.

"Not at all! I thought you wanted to do things the proper way" she said as she let her hand go from his and playfully nudged his shoulder.

"Ouch!" he groaned. He was still sore and even though her touch was gentle, it quickly reminded him that even though his spirits were feeling better, he might have to go easy for a few more days.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, kissing his shoulder gently. "I didn't mean to hurt you".

"I figured I would get some sleep and feel better. Guess I don't bounce back as quick as I used to".

"Speaking of, we should probably get some more bacta on that cut of yours" Leia said as she began to free herself from Han's arms and sat up on the bed. She turned to the table next to the bed and reached for the tube. She turned back to Han and pushed back his hair, tousled from sleep. She unscrewed the cap and squeezed some of the bacta onto her fingers and gently brushed them against his forehead. The wound was already looking better than it had the night before. She re-screwed the bacta tube and looked at Han. The swelling on his cheek had gone down overnight, but a nasty bruise remained. He smiled at her, looking into her deep brown eyes.

"How bad do I look?" he curiously asked. He had yet to actually look at himself in a mirror, only imagining he looked somewhere between as if he had taken a few punches in a bar fight at best to at worst a wampa paw to the face.

"You're still handsome. It's looking better already honestly, last night you were much more swollen" Leia replied.

"Come here". His arms stretched towards her again, longing to hold her once again.

"Han, I can't. I have to get to work. Mon needs my assistance today. She finally caught up with some things she needed to get done. Remember, we are here on Chandrila for a reason?" she reminded him. She wished she could fall back into his arms, but she knew that the Alliance needed her too.

Han looked at her with disappointment. He knew the past few weeks were a rare interruption from how life usually was for them. He didn't expect though for Leia to jump back into things so quickly. _Maybe she could just ask for a few more days off, say I need her or something?_ he thought to himself, wishing for just even one more day to have her to himself, no Alliance interruptions or order for her to complete. His feelings from before the Bakura mission began swirling in his mind again. _She's going to get so wrapped up in work again I'll hardly see her. Guess it was nice while it lasted._

"I know you are here for a reason. But is this how it's always going to be? You are busy, then I'm busy and then it takes something horrible to happen to one of us to actually have a normal relationship for a few days?" he asked, unable to suppress his annoyance at the situation.

Leia was surprised at Han's tone. _Did he really think that our future was going to be us laying around the Falcon all day, hopping around the galaxy as we pleased? Even if we aren't in the middle of a war anymore, we can't just pretend everything is fine. There's still a million things to attend to and he doesn't seem to think about that, the fact I'm trying to pick up the pieces to put an entire galaxy back together._

"Han, don't say that. We'll figure it out" she tried to reassure him in her most diplomatic tone of voice.

"Leia, since Endor, it's been us trying to figure things out" he reminded her, trying to calm himself.

"All the work I've been doing has been orders. I can't say no to them. You chose to go on those supply runs with Luke. The Alliance didn't make you". The words fell from her mouth before she even had time to think about how they sounded, instantly regretting each and every one of them.

Han sat up and looked at her, his hazel eyes hinting at his anger with her statement.

"I chose to go on those supply runs so I could give you a ring, Leia. I didn't expect for us to get shot down" he retorted quickly. "I also didn't think you would just run off to work the morning after it happened either".

She looked down at her hands in her lap, her ring peeking in between her fingers, a pang of guilt shooting thru her. She couldn't help what had happened to him and she felt horrible that it did. She shook her head and looked up at him.

"Han, you know I don't want to go back to work, but I have to. I'm sorry" she quietly sighed. "I don't know what else to say to you".

"Just for once, could you think of yourself? The Alliance can wait. The galaxy can wait for once. You do enough for everyone else" Han protested.

"I've had plenty of time for myself...and I try and make plenty of time for you too. I don't know what you want me to do. You know how things are with the Alliance, I don't know why you thought everything would somehow change once the war was over" she sighed, her frustration growing.

"Mon basically had to give you orders to you for you to stop for a few days" he snapped, unable to try and reason with her any longer.

"Han, I'm not doing this right now. I have to go" she muttered as she stood from the bed. _Why must everything with him be such a fight sometimes?_

He didn't have anything left to say to her. He watched as she left the bunk in silence, her footsteps fading away down the hallway. He pulled the blankets from him and stood from the bed. He glanced down at his shirt, still stained with mud from the day before. He pulled it over his head, a dull ache still coursing thru his shoulders and threw it to the ground and made his way to refresher.

* * *

Han walked thru the lounge, glancing at Luke for a moment as he passed, surprised at his presence on the ship, not recalling him being there the night previous. Luke was still asleep, snoring softly.

"Your sister is an impossible woman sometimes" Han muttered in Luke's direction before disappearing into the galley.

He readied himself a cup of caf, leaning against the counter as the hot liquid dispensed into the mug, pushing his damp hair from his face. He let out a long sigh before turning and reaching for the cup. He exited the galley and noticed Luke had woken up, his hands rubbing against his face as he sat up from the bench.

Han paused. "Hey there, kid".

Luke blinked slowly and looked towards Han, sleep fading from his mind. "Hey. What's wrong?" Luke asked, noticing Han's glum expression.

"Nothing. Just tired" Han replied, really not wanting to discuss Leia at the moment.

"Ah, come on, Han. Something's troubling you" Luke chuckled.

Han knew he couldn't get past Luke and pulled out a chair from the table, setting his caf mug down before sitting down himself.

"So? What's going on? I heard you and Leia fighting earlier" Luke stated.

"Figured you would be able to sleep thru that by now" Han muttered as he took a long sip of his caf.

Luke let out a small laugh. "I can sleep thru you two shouting at each other, I can't sleep thru the sense of emotions yet".

Han couldn't help to chuckle. "I wish you couldn't sense anything sometimes, kid. Still weirds me out".

He paused for another sip of caf. He knew Luke wasn't going to let him go from the conversation until he fessed up with what was bothering him. He wished Chewie was here instead of Luke, the Wookie never questioned him, usually letting him free to sit in the cockpit with his own thoughts rather than making him have a discussion about them. He sighed before looking towards Luke. "Your sister is just impossible sometimes".

"I know that. But that's just how she is" Luke stated matter of factly.

"She can't ever just take a moment for herself. She throws herself into work and forgets about everything else around her".

"You mean, she forgets about you" Luke cocked his head and looked at Han.

"Luke, come on". Han couldn't deny the truth in Luke's statement, but was in no mood to deal with it. He grabbed his mug from the table and rose from his chair, making his way to the cockpit. He didn't need to be psychoanalyzed this early in the morning by a jedi master. He slumped down into his pilot's chair, his mug of caf resting in his hand. He could hear Luke's footsteps against the metal grating making their way down the ramp, thankful he was leaving him alone for the time being.

* * *

Leia walked into Mon's office, the morning light streaming thru the large windows. Mon sat at her desk and looked up from her data pad as Leia entered.

"Good morning, Princess Leia" Mon said as she gestured for Leia to take a seat. "How is General Solo feeling?"

Leia sighed quietly to herself at the mention of Han's name as she sat in front of Mon's desk, removing her own data pad from her bag and placing it on her lap and switching it on.

"He's doing much better" she replied to Mon, not wishing to discuss him further with her.

"Well that's good to hear. I was very concerned when I heard what happened to him and Commander Skywalker". Mon looked at Leia, studying her for a moment. "Is something troubling you today, Princess?" she asked softly.

"Not at all, Mon" Leia lied, pushing the thoughts of Han's words from earlier from her mind. Her fingers tapped her data pad, opening a budget report. "Shall we talk about these reports? I believe I have the numbers in order finally. I found a few places that we could cut back on fuel costs".

Mon smiled slightly. "Princess, I've been thinking. I thank you for all you've done with the budget and for agreeing to assist me here on Chandrila but you have quite a bit going on personally lately".

Leia looked up from her data pad and stared at Mon blankly, her mind racing. _Have I done something wrong?_ she couldn't help to think.

"Mon, I don't think anything personally has affected my work. I've fulfilled my orders to the best of my ability" she stuttered, trying to regain control of herself, a rare moment that she was at a lost for words.

"There has been nothing wrong with your work. I'm surprised at the amount you have gotten done. I do wish you would take some time to plan your wedding. Have you even started?"

Leia fumbled for an answer. Other than her brief browsing at dresses, her own wedding was the furthest thing from her mind lately.

"No, Mon, we actually haven't discussed any plans". She pushed the thought of Han's idea of jetting off in secret to Corellia out of her mind.

Mon set her data pad down and pulled her chair close to her desk, leaning forward. "Princess, you only get married once. Why aren't you more excited about this?"

Leia pondered Mon's words. Just a few days ago, she could hardly think straight, the joy of being engaged overwhelming her. Now she felt as though she was empty inside, completely focused on the Alliance and what they needed of her. She felt uncomfortable still about discussing personal matters with Mon as she quietly began to speak.

"Sometimes it's just difficult", not wishing to elaborate any further. She didn't know how to deal with her new circumstances after the fall of the Empire. After years of war and every day just fighting to stay alive and return peace to the galaxy, she had forgotten how to just live normally. Work was her one thing that she found consistency in, a familiar comfort to her.

"Princess, all men are difficult. You happened to fall in love with one that has stubborn Corellian blood in him too. You're just as stubborn too, you've been thru hells in your lifetime. But sometimes, you don't have to fight so hard against things" Mon replied, her voice soft and understanding.

Leia was taken aback by Mon's reply. _I didn't say Han was difficult, in fact I never even mentioned that he was what was bothering me_ ,she thought to herself, _but she's absolutely correct. Is it that obvious to everyone?_ She sat in silence, twirling her ring around her finger with her thumb, nervousness washing over her.

"I think we are all trying to adjust to these new times. After everything, this isn't going to be easy but you have something wonderful for once in your life. Please, take care of yourself and focus on your wedding to General Solo".

Leia looked up at Mon. "What about assisting you here with the New Republic?"

"You are more then welcome to stay on base here, but there are plenty of people in the Alliance that can help me" Mon replied. "Work will still be here after you are married".

Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing, slowly accepting that Mon had a valid point. _Maybe I do work too much. All I've done my whole life is work for others._

* * *

Han had taken to making adjustments on the Falcon out of frustration. He stood under his ship, unscrewing a series of bolts quickly with a hydrospanner, setting them aside and pulling a metal cover off, exposing a tangle of wires. He pulled gently on a single wire, freeing it from the connector. He reached for the end of the wire, a small shock pulsing thru his fingers as he dropped it quickly.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, holding his finger to his mouth.

"You should really remember to shut off the power before you mess around with your ship" Leia's voice echoed towards him.

Han glanced up, his finger parting from his lips, a dull ache from the small electrical shock still throbbing in his fingertip. Leia stood before him, her face relaxed, a small smile forming at the corner of her mouth at the sight of him. He sighed. He was still slightly annoyed at her, but was surprised that she already back at the Falcon so soon.

"You don't always have to be right" he smirked. He glanced at her for a moment before reaching up to the wire again, carefully pulling on it, making sure to avoid contact with the exposed end. He reconnected it tightly, his fingers effortlessly re-screwing the bolts to the metal plating.

"Han, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. I was thinking about what you said. Maybe we should go to Corellia".

He turned from his work and looked directly at her. "Are you serious?" he asked.

Leia shifted her weight on her feet and shrugged slightly. "That is if you still wanted to" she added nervously.

He grabbed her around her waist, picking her up and held her close in a tight embrace. His mood had completely changed in an instant, all his annoyance and frustration from the morning seemed to have disappeared. "Of course I do" he excitedly declared as he kissed her. He set her back down, his hands holding her shoulders as he looked deep into dark brown eyes. "Are you sure my Princess?" he asked.

"Without a doubt, my scoundrel" she quipped.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note:**_ _Apologizes on the delay updating! Between a new job and a bunch of other life stuff going on, it kind of fell by the wayside for a bit. More chapters are in the works, so hang in there with me :)_

Leia stepped from the ramp of the Falcon onto the tarmac of Coronot's spaceport. A warm breeze swirled around her, the summer sun bright in the sky. The sound of ships taking off and landing echoed around her as she looked in the distance towards the city. Tall buildings rose into the blue sky, the ornate detailing of marble and metal glimmering in the daylight. Han stepped next to her and took her hand, his fingers wrapping thru his. She followed his lead as they made their way into the city, the streets busy with speeder traffic and pedestrians.

"Do you know where we need to go?" Leia asked as they paused for a moment waiting to cross a street.

"To the capitol building. It's not far" he replied.

The speeder traffic ceased and Leia followed along with Han across the street. She looked at the people passing by them, Corellians of all walks of life making their way to whatever places they needed to go. She felt excited at the idea that she was casually making her way thru the streets on Han's home world get married. _Married_ she thought to herself, the word alone making her stomach flutter and a small smile to cross her face. They turned a corner and Han's paced slowed as they stopped outside of an official looking building, the embellished metal structure rising majestically into the sky above them.

"You ready?" Han asked, glancing at Leia.

Her smile beamed as she looked back at him. "Of course". She had never been so ready for something in her entire life.

* * *

The turbolift opened into a long hallway. Han and Leia made their way down the hall until they reached a doorway, Han reaching for the handle as Leia glanced at the frosted glass window of the door. "Office of Marriage Licenses" was ornately painted across it in Basic and Corellian lettering. She took a deep breath as she followed Han into the room.

The room was smaller and simpler than she had expected from the exterior of the stately building. A long counter stretched across the back wall with rows of wooden chairs lined around the room. They approached the counter. An older gentleman sat hunched over in his seat, raising his head up as Han leaned against the edge of the counter. The man looked up from his work toward the couple's direction.

"How may I help you today?" He asked, his voice heavy with the thickest Corellian accent Leia had ever heard anyone speak with before.

"We'd like to get married" Han replied.

The man reached to his side, removing a data pad from a shelf next to him. He switched it on and placed it on the counter, tapping thru various screens before finding the correct one and pushing it towards Han and Leia.

"You'll need to fill out this form. Upon submission, you will be legally married on Corellia, but it takes 7-10 standard days for the marriage to be legally binding galaxy wide" the man droned as if he had said the words before a million times before, any excitement for the about-to-be-married-couple drained from them long ago.

Leia picked up the data pad from the counter. "Thank you" she politely stated towards the man, ignoring his obvious lack of enthusiasm. He looked at her for a moment before picking up a piece of paper in front of him and returning to his work.

Leia made her way to a row of chairs against the far wall from the counter. She sat down, Han sitting next to her. She looked down at the data pad, tapping against the screen, ready to begin filling out the form. She was instantly confused, her head darting up to look towards Han.

"I can't read any of this" she stated quietly, her glance dropping back down to the data pad, her fingers quickly scrolling thru the form, searching for any familiar characters. Every question and section was written in Corellian, the language and alphabet completely foreign to her. "Don't they have this form in Basic?" She looked back up at Han, her mind baffled at why the employee had given them this particular version of the form.

"I'll help you with it. We don't need to raise any suspicions and that old timer at the counter wouldn't exactly like the idea of an off world princess getting married to a local" Han whispered, taking the data pad gently from her hands. He smiled slightly, silently glad that the employee thought of Leia as a passable enough as a possible Corellian to not raise any immediate questions or interject his own opinion on them.

Leia hadn't thought about the logistics of what they exactly were doing. She had been too caught up in her own excitement to think rationally, a rarity for her. Spur of the moment decisions made her uncomfortable, usually seeking solace in carefully thought out and organized plans. The reality of the fact she had left the base to get married on another planet in secret began to materialize, her worry growing as she thought of all repercussions that could possibly come along with their decision. Her stomach began to knot. Her mind pulled her back to the article she had stumbled upon a few days prior, the words she had read flashing thru her mind. _Many Corellians still hold to idea that local men who marry off worlders are regarded as the families' black bantha._

"What if they ask us more questions when we go up there?" she quietly asked, her fear growing that somehow the clerk behind the counter would want to know more about them then what the form asked of them.

"Don't worry about it". Han relaxed back into the chair and started typing, entering his own information in the data pad. He paused as he reached the next section of the form and studied one of the questions for a moment. He looked up at Leia, a still worried look on her face.

"Where were you born?" he asked, leaning closer to her.

"Polis Massa" she answered, her voice hushed as his typing resumed. She glanced around the room, noticing the rows of chairs still remained empty around them. She was glad that no one else was in the office at the time, other than employees walking to and from behind the counter chatting among themselves. She looked back at Han, her nerves relaxing slightly. She knew in her heart that this was the right decision, planned on or not. She sat forward in her chair, peering over his shoulder to the data pad, trying to make sense of what he was putting onto the form, the Corellian characters still a jumbled blur of meaningless script to her. It was a odd feeling to see him working on official paperwork rather than her.

Han felt his comm buzzing in his pocket, the vibration warbling against the wooden chair. Han continued to tap at the data pad, unfazed by the noise.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Leia asked after the noise continued for close to a minute.

Han finally broke his gaze from the data pad and looked at Leia, smirking slightly. "Kind of the middle of something important here" he quietly chuckled. The buzzing continued.

"Han, what if it's important? Whoever it is wouldn't have let the transmission go this long if it wasn't".

"Alright, alright". Han handed the datapad over to Leia and rose from his chair. "I'll be right back". He leaned to kiss her quickly before stepping into the hall.

General Rieekan's voice broke thru the static as Han switched the comm on.

"General Solo. Commander Skywalker and I have been sitting here for almost half an hour waiting on you".

"What? Waiting on me?" Han was thoroughly confused. His mind raced at what Rieekan could possibly talking about.

"You were supposed to meet with us for a de-briefing today about your little encounter while on the supply runs. I sent you multiple messages about this, do you not check your data pad?" Han could tell Rieekan was annoyed, if not borderline upset at him, but was trying his best to remain professional.

"Ah, gods. I'm sorry. I've been a little out of it".

"If it's easier, Luke and I can just walk down to the hanger and we can have this de-briefing on your ship?" Rieekan suggested, sending Han's mind racing.

"Uh, no, no, that's not necessary" Han stuttered. _For the love of gods please do not walk to the hanger. There won't be a Falcon for you to find._

"Well, please get here as soon as possible then. How long will it take you?"

While Corellia was not across the galaxy from Chandrila, it would still take more then enough time to return, much longer than it would take for Han to simply walk from the hanger to a meeting if they were still on base. He was caught, between a rock and a hard place. There was no way for him to cover his absence from base, his mind churning for some sort of way to buy himself some time.

"General, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now" Han uttered, hoping Rieekan would somehow dismiss him from the de-briefing.

"It's orders that you get here immediately. I like you General Solo and if this wasn't such a serious issue, I might let it slide, but you crashed an Alliance ship into the face of a planet. We need to get these reports filed as quickly as possible".

Han switched off his comm and turned back to the doorway. He knew his fleeting thoughts of Rieekan just letting this issue go were nothing more than a wish. He pulled the door open again, his mind still racing, his thoughts jumbling together at how he could possibly cover up being off base, let alone off planet and the logistics of getting back as soon as possible.

"We have to go". Han briskly walked back into the room, shoving his comm back into his pocket as he made his way towards Leia, still focused on the data pad.

"What's going on?" Leia looked up at Han in confusion noticing that he was visibly flustered about something.

"Look, I'll explain when we get back to the Falcon, but we gotta go". He reached for her arm, pulling her from the chair.

"Han! What in the hells is going on?" she blurted out, her voice louder than she had intended it to be, causing a few of the clerks behind the counter to stop and look in their direction.

He yanked the datapad from her hands and stepped towards the counter, tossing it carelessly towards the man who was still engrossed in his work. The clerk jumped slightly in his seat as the pad skittered across the counter, Han already back near Leia, grasping her hand and pulling towards the exit before it landed.

"Sir? Have you completed this form?" The clerk bellowed out after the departing couple, receiving no answer from either of them as he picked up the discarded data pad from the counter.

* * *

They made their way thru the bustling streets of Coronet, Han still holding firmly onto Leia's hand, his fingers tight against hers. She could barely keep up with his steps, her short legs struggling to match his long steps, sprinting after him as he wove his way thru the crowded sidewalks. She was completely confused at the change in him, one second completely engrossed to the point of ignoring his comm, the next practically dragging her out of the room. Han paused at a corner, the street ahead of them busy with speeder traffic. Leia seized the moment and ripped her fingers from his, her mind fuming with anger. She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly from trying to keep up with Han's pace for blocks.

"Han! Tell me right now what is going on or I swear to gods I will blast you right here" She shouted at him, not caring the slightest that her threat made a few heads in the crowd of people waiting to cross the street around them turn in their direction.

He looked at her, still flustered, his eyes darting back and forth between her and the traffic, praying they could continue on their way quickly.

"I told you. I'll tell you in a minute". The speeder traffic on the street had stopped and the people around them had begun to shuffle their way across the street, the sedentary couple now an inconvenience to them.

"I will not move from this spot until you tell me why you rushed out of there so fast". Leia crossed her arms, safely tucking her hands into her sides so Han couldn't grab one of them again.

"Leia! Not now! Let's go!" Han demanded.

She furrowed her brow at him, anger boiling inside of her. He hadn't pushed her to be this mad at him in quite some time. She stood unmoved, still glaring at him as people brushed against her, making their way past.

Han stared back at her, wanting to plead with her to just shut up with a demand for an answer from him and just get back to the ship. He knew that would never work, he knew her too well. She would hold her ground, not caring if it took all day, just to prove him wrong. He sometimes loved how stubborn she was, but at this moment in time, it was the most infuriating quality about her. He decided on a different tactic. He knew begging or screaming at her wouldn't get her to budge, but the very real facts of the current situation would, especially since it concerned the Alliance. He stepped closer to her, her arms still tight across her chest, her deep brown eyes fixed upon him. He gently rested his hands against her shoulders, her body tensing under his touch.

"Leia, if we don't get to the Falcon and back to Chandrila as soon as possible, it's a very real possibility I'm getting court martialed" he calmly stated to her, his hazel eyes meeting hers.

"What!" She exclaimed at him, her arms beginning to loosen from around her.

"Again, I'll explain it all when we get to the Falcon…but we need to go...now" he stated, trying to keep his voice as calm as he possibly could.

"Godsdamnnit Han" she muttered, slightly relaxing her stubborn stance against him. "Let's go".

* * *

The pair reached the Falcon, rushing up the ramp and into the cockpit. Han slid into the captain's chair, his fingers rapidly flipping switches and punching in coordinates as Leia sat in the co-pilot's seat next to him. The ship's engines roared to life and in a blink of an eye, Corellia was nothing more then a blue and green swirl behind them. Han sighed as the Falcon's autopilot systems took over, the blackness of space enveloping around them. Leia was still trying to catch her breath, the exhaustion of darting thru the city streets in the summer heat catching up to her.

"So, care to explain to me what is going on?" she murmured under her breath as she folded her arms back across her and glanced at Han from the corner of her eyes, making sure her expression clearly showed how annoyed she was at him.

"I forgot about a de-briefing with General Rieekan and Luke. They are currently waiting on base for me to be there".

"How could you forget about something like that?" Leia exclaimed, surprised that Han could possibly be so irresponsible about such an important matter.

"A beautiful Princess came to me wanting to get married and I honestly forgot". He smoothly stated, cracking a lopsided grin towards her, hoping Leia would calm down if he worked a little of his Solo charm on her.

"Oh, don't put the blame on me for your forgetfulness, Han. Having a de-briefing after you smash an Alliance ship into the surface of a planet isn't something that just slips your mind" she snapped at him, completely ignoring his attempt to try and charm her.

"It wasn't exactly my intention of crashing in the first place" he snapped back at her, his retort interrupted by the Falcon's engines whining as the autopilot shut off as the ship neared Chandrila, causing a warning signal to blare that the ship needed an actual pilot's attention to begin the landing cycle.

"How about you work on not crashing your own ship, hot shot" Leia sarcastically stated as Han's attention snapped back to the controls, slapping the warning signal off with his palm slightly harder than needed.

The Falcon landed in the Alliance hanger and Han rose from his seat and dashed from the cockpit before the low growl of the ship's engines had barely faded from around them, leaving Leia alone in the cockpit without a kiss or even a goodbye from him. She leaned forward and double checked the control panel, making sure Han had actually fully shut the ship down in the rush of him leaving. The lights on the panel faded as she sat back in her seat, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her feet against the edge of the chair. She looked out at the hanger, her annoyance at Han fading slightly as worry set in. She knew there could be serious repercussions for him if Rieekan so chose to enforce official Alliance rules on him. She silently hoped that between Rieekan's general fondness for Han and Han's ability to smooth talk himself out of tight situations, Han would be able to walk away from the meeting without being in any serious trouble.

 _This is not how I imagined my day was going to go_ she sighed.


	10. Chapter 10

Leia sat in the cockpit of the Falcon unmoved from her seat for what seemed like an eternity. Her mind was in overdrive, filled with worry about Han, annoyance at the fact he could be such a bantha brained idiot to forget about the debriefing in the first place and sadness at the fact her marriage was interrupted by Alliance matters. She stared out over the hanger, absently mindedly watching the flurry of activity of pilots and personnel moving about beneath her. She was lost in her thoughts, not even noticing Han's footsteps approaching the cockpit. She jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Hey there" he quietly stated, not quite sure what mood she might be in, surprised she hadn't moved from the spot her left her in earlier.

She turned in the chair and looked up at Han standing in the doorway to the cockpit. She was afraid to ask him anything, not sure what sort of answer she might receive from him.

"Don't worry so much, Leia. Everything's fine" he assured her, noting the worried look on her face.

"How'd you manage to talk your way out of that one?"

"Rieekan's a good guy. He was more concerned with the fact that we were targeted by pirates and amazed by the fact Luke and I walked away relatively unharmed".

"That's not what I meant. How did you explain how late you were? I'm sure everyone on base is just going to love talking about how we tried to hop over to Corellia to get married".

"I didn't tell him about any of that".

"I hardly doubt Rieekan just glanced over the fact you were hours late for a de-briefing, you had to tell him something".

Han stepped forward and sat in his captain's chair, turning himself to face Leia, picking her hand up and began rubbing his fingers against the back of it. He looked into her eyes.

"Is that really how you pictured us getting married? You deserve more than just some quickie wedding"

"I don't care how we get married, I just wanted to be married to you" she replied.

"You want to go about this the right way? Actually plan this whole thing out?" He asked, a tone of excitement to his voice.

"You, Han Solo, want to actually plan something?" She giggled at the thought.

"Hey now, I can plan things!" He retorted chuckling, relieved that she no longer looked so concerned. "What if we got married on Corellia? We could go by the ocean, it's nice there in the summer".

"I like that idea". She leaned close to him kissing him on his cheek.

* * *

Leia walked from the base down the street towards the row of shops nearby. The past few days had seemed to fly by. Han and her had worked on arranging things for the wedding. They had agreed on a small wedding on Corellia in a few weeks, Han easily making arrangements with contacts he had to reserve the necessary things they would need. She felt as though she still had a very long list of things to do, but on the top of her list for the day was to find herself a wedding dress. Never in a million standard years would she imagine that she would ever be on her way to look for a wedding gown. She slowed as she approached a small storefront and pushed open the door. She looked around the shop, taking in the various displays of dresses around the room, rows of clothing neatly hung against racks that lined the room and the surrounding walls. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually gone shopping for clothing for herself, most of what she wore over the past years Alliance issued or acquired on missions.

"Good morning, ma'am". A short middle aged woman stood behind a counter. Her auburn hair was pulled away from her face and hung in a long braid down her back, her short and stocky frame covered in a simple dark purple dress and plain apron. "What can I help you with today?"

"I'm looking for a wedding dress" Leia replied, pulling her attention away from the rows of dresses to the woman. She was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed, not quite sure what purchasing a wedding dress entailed.

"Oh wonderful, dear. Will you be accompanied by anyone today? Your mother or sister?" The woman asked.

"No, just me" she replied, a pang of sadness in her voice. She knew that most girls would have the second opinions of family or a friend on such a shopping trip. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was okay, she was perfectly capable of doing this on her own.

"Not a problem, darling. Let me get some measurements and we can discuss what you are looking for".

The woman stepped around from the counter and gestured for Leia to follow her to a corner of the shop that had a large mirror and low couches set around it. The woman asked Leia to raise her arms slightly as she pulled a long measuring tape from around her neck, stretching it across the length of Leia's outstretched arms. As she worked, she looked at Leia.

"So tell me what type of wedding dress are you looking for?"

"Well, I know I want it to be floor length, maybe some lace but nothing too ornate or beaded". She felt unprepared, which made her a little nervous. _Maybe I should have researched this more before coming here._

"White or ivory?" The woman asked as she wrapped the measuring tape around Leia's waist, taking another set of measurements.

"I was actually thinking green" she admitted. She liked the idea of not wearing white after years of wearing it so often and the idea of following in tradition of Han's home world had been one thing about her wedding dress she had given thought to.

The woman paused for a moment before pulling the tape from around Leia's waist. "Oh I'm sorry my dear, are you Corellian? You should have said so. Here I am rattling on about white dresses". She smiled gently at Leia, not giving Leia a chance to answer the woman. "Are you having a traditional Corellian wedding?"

Leia didn't know exactly what that entailed, unsure of how to answer the woman's question at first. "We are getting married on Corellia, my fiance is actually Corellian, I'm not".

"You know what? Let me get my assistant. She got married to a Corellian last year". Before Leia could protest, the woman bellowed out to her assistant over her shoulder and a thin woman with shoulder length hair that was wild with curls emerged from the back of the shop. She looked to be Leia's age, her pale yellow cotton dress swaying around her as she made her way over to them.

"We have a bride to be here who is marrying a Corellian and is looking for a gown. I thought you might be able to help us out" the older woman explained to the woman.

"Of course" the assistant replied, an understanding smile crossing her face.

"I'm going to go pull some fabric samples and maybe a few dresses styles she might like that we have in stock" the older woman explained before making her way into the back room, leaving Leia and the younger woman to themselves.

"I'm Fianna" the woman extended her hand to Leia, her skin as pale and milky as Leia's.

"Leia. Nice to meet you". She shook the woman's hand politely in return.

* * *

The two sat on a long couch against the shop's wall as they waited on the older woman to return, a silence falling around them for a moment.

"So you are marrying a Corellian?" Fianna asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes". Leia replied.

"Best thing I ever did. Worth all the drama from his family about me being an off worlder before the wedding, but he was worth it" Fianna stated, her voice friendly.

"They weren't fond of you?"

"Not at first. I thought his mother was going explode when we told her we were engaged. But she's come around. Did your fiance's family take to you well?"

"They have" Leia answered, not letting on to the girl that by fiance's family she really meant Chewbacca, knowing the Wookiee approved of her and was the closest thing Han had to a family besides her and Luke. She didn't feel too comfortable on explaining all of the details of her and Han's personal life to a stranger. _Imagine if she asked how we met? Our first date, for the lack of better terms, was in an Imperial trash compactor…how romantic...first kiss? Inside of a space slug_ she sarcastically mused to herself.

"What does your fiance do for a living?" Fianna inquired.

"He's a pilot" Leia answered, not really sure how to describe Han's occupation in a single, simple term without further detail to it. _Ex-smuggler and gambler turned Alliance General might raise some eyebrows._

"Typical Corellians" she laughed. "Mine is too. Something about those handsome flyboys, huh?" Fianna nudged Leia's arm with her elbow. Leia couldn't help but to giggle. It had been a long time since she had a conversation with another woman her own age that wasn't about Alliance matters, even then, that was a rarity. She had gotten so used to being greatly outnumbered on bases by men that she had forgotten what it was like to have someone to talk to. She felt herself relaxing, deciding to just enjoy the moment of company she was in.

The older woman had made her way back, her hands now full with various samples of fabrics and a few dresses draped over her shoulders. She handed the fabrics to Fianna as she hung the dresses on an empty rack near the large mirror before turning and sitting herself onto the couch next to Leia. She reached over and took the fabrics back from Fianna's hands and placed them in Leia's lap.

"Alright, my dear. You've got some decisions to make here". She reached for a single swatch of fabric and smoothed it against her leg before holding it up in front of her. It was a medium green, not light and not too dark and a fine quality of silk. "What do you think of this color?" the woman asked.

Leia reached for the fabric, running her fingertips against the edge of it. The silk was cool under her touch. "It's nice, but it's not quite the color green I was thinking". She looked back down at the jumble of various fabrics on her lap and pulled out a deep emerald green one that caught her eye and handed it to the woman. "Something like this color".

The shopkeeper took the fabric from Leia's hand and held it up to the light. "This one is very nice. What do you think, Fianna? Fit for a Corellian bride?"

Fianna leaned forward. "It is beautiful, but I think traditionally only royalty wears dresses that dark in color".

Leia could feel her discomfort from earlier returning as she looked back down to the various fabrics, none of the other selections quite jumping out to her in the way the one she had just chose had.

"But, you know, that doesn't mean she couldn't wear it. My gown was almost that dark and I'm no princess" Fianna chimed. "That color would look so beautiful on you, Leia. We all want to be princesses on our wedding days anyways".

Leia smiled at Fianna's comment and reached for the fabric again, staring down at it in her fingers. It really was stunning, a silky emerald that almost shifted between deep green and onyx under the light.

"I really do love this one" she smiled.

"Why don't we have you try on some dresses, at least give you a feel for a style we can make that beautiful fabric into?" the older woman suggested, noting Leia's smile at the fabric, knowing the look a bride gave to something that they knew was perfect for them.

* * *

By the time Leia left the shop, her mind was swirling but she had made all the necessary decisions on her wedding gown and was excited about each and every one of them. She had enjoyed Fianna's company and she was a great help to her. The summer sun was sinking low in the sky, the dusk casting a pink glow across the Chandrilan street as she made her way back to the base.

She made her way up the Falcon's ramp towards the lounge area. She was overtaken by two furry Wookiee arms before she could even turn the corner into the main area of the ship.

[Glad to see you again, Princess!] Chewbacca grunted with excitement as he enveloped her small body in a hug, Leia swallowed in fur. Han's voice echoed from behind them.

"He couldn't wait to see you and was wondering what was taking you so long"

Chewie loosened his hug on Leia as she stepped from his embrace.

"It's good to see you too, Chewie!" She hadn't expected the Wookiee to have returned from Kashyyyk so soon, suspecting that Han had shared the news of the wedding with him causing his early return.

[Han said you were out dress shopping. You find a wedding gown suitable for a princess to marry this guy?] His growls fading into a Wookiee chuckle as he nodded towards Han.

Leia looked at Han who was smirking slightly. "He wants to know if you found a dress" Han translated for her, leaving out Chewie's friendly jab at him.

"I did. But I'm not giving up any details. You two are going to just have to wait" she smiled back at them.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Notes:**_ _Thank the maker, Han and Leia's wedding is finally here! I threw the EU out the window and this is just my own version of Han and Leia's day and how I imagined them doing things. That's the fun in fiction, right? I decided in my idea of the Star Wars universe, there is no wedding officiant, just a public profession of a declaration of intent and paperwork afterwards to make it legally binding. Some aspects of the story and setting are based on my own wedding day.  
_

The Falcon touched down in the small spaceport near Corellia's Gold Beaches. Han wrapped his hand thru Leia's as they made their way down the ramp, followed by Chewbacca. He let out a soft approving growl as a warm breeze blew around them, the smell of salt from the nearby ocean in the air. Leia took in her surroundings as she followed Han thru the small seaside village that bordered the spaceport. It was a stark contrast from Coronet, the sleepy village was quiet and had none of bustling traffic or noise of the capital city. They made their way down the main street, the ocean now visible as it stretched out to the horizon in a vast blanket of crystal blue water, sparkling under the summer sun.

They had made arrangements for a few rooms in an old mansion near the beach for themselves and guests, booking out the mansion's ballroom for the wedding ceremony and reception. They reached their destination, a stately red brick three story home that sat nestled on a small hill. The front of the home was dotted by well manicured gardens, flowers of all colors and types in full bloom, adding an additional charm to the historic home. Leia had read that the home was once owned by a family who founded Corellia's largest shipbuilding yard and now was a hotel.

"You want to go look around?" Han asked Leia. They had some time to themselves, Luke and the droids were not scheduled to arrive for another hour and Chewbacca had decided to duck into a cantina in the village to find a meal for himself.

"Sure" Leia replied curiously, wondering what the inside of the home looked like in person.

They made their way inside the house and up a grand staircase to the top floor of the home. Han pushed against a door, opening it to reveal a ballroom. The room was dim, but Leia could see enough of the room in the low light, peaks of sunlight breaking thru the curtains that hung over the large windows that lined the walls. The room was empty other than a few stacks of chairs against the walls. Leia took a step into the room, her footsteps echoing thru the expanse, tilting her head up to look around. Ornate gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the middle of the ceiling rising to a dome bordered by embellished moldings. She noticed that there was detailed paintings of Corellian starships inside the dome, elaborate scenes celebrating the planet's history and victories. She looked back down, taking in the rest of the room, slightly in awe.

"It's even prettier than it looked in the holos" Leia whispered. "It's going to look amazing when everything is all set up in here"

"I agree" Han nodded. The couple turned to exit the room, shutting the door quietly behind them before making their way back down the staircase.

"There's somewhere else I want you to see" Han stated, taking Leia's hand again as they made their way from the house, thru the front gardens and towards the beach. They made their way onto the long stretch of smooth sand. Leia paused, using her free hand to slip her sandals from her feet.

"I haven't been on a beach since I was a child". She wiggled her toes in the sand as she picked up her sandals, letting them dangle from her fingers.

Han smiled as he looked at her, her bare feet now sinking into the sand, the wind swirling her dress around her, stray strands of her hair that had fallen from her braids curling around her face. She looked beautiful, relaxed and as if she hardly had a care in the galaxy at the moment.

"I love you" Han said as he kissed her forehead.

"I love you too" she smiled back at him.

"Hey, you two!" A voice cut thru the breeze and the lapping ocean waves. Han and Leia both turned and looked behind them, seeing Luke walking towards them, the fabric of his Jedi robe floating in the wind behind him.

"Hey, kid" Han replied as Luke approached them. He reached them and looked around, taking in the ocean and the surrounding landscape. Luke looked down, grabbing the edge of his robe and shook his foot, the toe of his one boot tapping against the other.

"I hate sand. Reminds me of Tatooine and gets into everything" Luke chuckled as he finally worked the sand from his boot "This is really nice though" he added, basking in the warm salt air.

"No way you can compare this to that dust bowl you call a planet" Han cracked with laughter.

Leia let go of Han's hand, her arms wrapping around her brother, pulling him into a hug.

"Good to see you Luke" she said as she let him go. "Where's C-3PO?"

"He's bringing everything from my ship to the hotel along with R2-D2. Where's Chewbacca?" Luke asked.

"Went to find some lunch. Always thinking about food the minute we land anywhere" Han replied.

"Well, I'm thinking like a Wookiee right now, I'm starving. Why don't we get something to eat?" Luke suggested.

* * *

The three had made their way back from the beach to the village and into a small cantina, finding Chewbacca sitting at a table near the back. He had clearly eaten quite a bit of food already, stacks of empty plates piled on the table in front of him, a contented look on his face. He growled happily at the sight of Luke in Han and Leia's company as they sat at the table. A waitress appeared, clearing away Chewie's plates before bringing more food and glasses of whiskey to the table, various bowls and plates of Corellian dishes now laid out in front of them.

"This all smells amazing" Leia commented as she looked at the variety of food in front of her, taking in the savory spiciness in the air. She reached for a bowl near her, lading a thick stew from it and onto her plate.

"What's this?" Luke questioned, pointing to a heaping bowl fried puffs that were glazed in a pale orange gravy that was close to him on the table.

Han glanced to the dish Luke was inquiring about. "That's endwa. Might want to fill up on it if you plan on hitting more whiskey later" Han laughed, knowing Luke's low tolerance for Corellian liquor.

* * *

Luke adventurously tried nearly every dish on the table by the end of dinner, leaning back in his seat feeling as though he had ate a wampa's weight in food. Chewie grunted towards Han.

[You still planning on spending the night on the Falcon?]

"Of course, fuzzball. Thought you, me and Luke could play a few rounds of sabbac".

Leia reached for Han's hand, resting their intertwined fingers against his thigh. She smiled at him, a sweet sadness knowing that she would be spending the night apart from him.

* * *

The evening had grown cool as the group stood outside of the cantina. The breeze from earlier had calmed, the faint sound of ocean waves in the distance floated thru the village.

[About ready?] Chewie asked, knowing that Han was finding it difficult to part with Leia.

"I was going to walk with Leia back to her room. I'll see you and Luke on the Falcon in a bit".

"Alright. Don't take too long, I've been working on my sabbac strategy" Luke chuckled, the few glasses of whiskey he had consumed with dinner giving him a slight confidence that for once he might finally beat Han in a game.

* * *

Han palmed the door open for Leia, following her inside of the room. The room was larger than Han had expected, especially considering the age of the home. A comfortable sitting area was arranged around a marble fireplace. A large oil painting of a man in a traditional Corellian military uniform hung over the mantle and large four postered bed sat along the far wall of the room in between two large windows that overlooked the front gardens and out to sea. The bed was covered in a heavy duvet with a traditional Corellian pattern on it that Han recognized from his childhood.

His attention focused back to Leia, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing her deeply. She met his kiss with equal passion. Her tongue met his, his palms slowly tracing up her sides, the fabric of her dress smooth against his calloused hands. She broke from the kiss, pulling playfully at his bottom lip before her eyes met his.

"I think we are suppose to wait for our wedding night" she softly giggled.

"That's never stopped us before"

Han pulled her petite body close to him again, his hands now tracing their way down her back. He longed to pick her up and take her right then and there. He wanted to feel her pressed against him, to make her moan with pleasure. He leaned close to her neck, kissing his way down to her collarbone, playfully nipping at her skin. He could feel her run her fingers thru the back of his hair, her breath growing heavy.

"Calm down, hot shot" she whispered into his ear. "One night without me won't kill you".

Han left her neck alone, kissing her lips lightly at one last attempt to sway her.

"It might" he breathed.

She giggled quietly as she looked at him. "You better get back to Luke and Chewie. I'm sure they've started to wonder what's taking you so long".

He kissed her forehead, finding it difficult to leave, but knowing that he had to. They had agreed since it was both an Alderaanian and Corellian tradition that the bride and groom spend the night before the wedding apart, it was best that they followed suite. Han was kicking himself now for agreeing to it, wishing for nothing more than to stay with her.

"You going to be alright?" He asked, unable to let her go just yet.

"Of course. I love you".

"I love you too, my princess". He kissed her one last time before letting her go and turning to leave. He made his way down the hall and back into the night.

* * *

Leia stepped from the fresher and wrapped herself in a long fluffy robe. She had taken a long shower after Han left, trying to distract herself from his absence. She made her way to the small sitting area and looked at the bookshelves that bordered the fireplace, running her fingertip against the edge of shelf as she looked at the titles. She noticed many of the titles were printed in Corellian, the words unintelligible to her as she glanced at them. She pulled at a book, releasing it from the shelf. _History of Corellian Freighters_ was printed in Basic across the front of the book, a picture of a YT-1300 beneath the words. She pushed the book back into its spot. _Han would probably enjoy reading that_ she thought to herself. She needed to find something to do to occupy herself, her thoughts kept wandering back to him, making her miss him more. _It's just one night, you've been apart from him for longer_ she reminded herself.

After aimlessly attempting to distract herself, not able to settle on anything, she decided that the only thing that could clear her mind was to just to try and sleep. She made her way to the bed, pulling back the covers as she lay down, her head sinking into the soft pillows. She stared up at the ceiling, blankly looking at it, trying to think of anything other then how empty the bed felt around her without Han. She wished for a moment that she had some kind of work to do, some Alliance report that needed finishing or inventory spreadsheet to be looked over. She rolled to her side, clearing her thoughts as she closed her eyes. She could hear the waves of the ocean crashing against the shore, lulling into sleep.

* * *

Luke let out a loud groan as he slammed his cards down against the holo chess table in defeat. He looked Han dead in the eyes as Han leaned back in his chair, kicking his boot up onto the tabletop, a smug grin on his face.

"I don't know what your secret is" Luke laughed, having lost yet another round of sabbac to Han. Chewie let out a low chuckle, having sat out the last few rounds knowing better than to try and win against Han, especially once he was on a streak. He found it amusing that Luke kept trying though, the poor kid attempting to work every angle, always bested by the seasoned gambler.

"Solo luck, kid. You're never gonna beat me" he cockily stated.

"You got something" Luke snickered, taking a final sip of his drink, draining the glass of the amber liquid. "You ready for tomorrow?"

"Never been more ready for anything in my life" Han grinned.

* * *

Leia woke early the next morning, sunlight casting a golden glow as it poured into the room thru the windows. She sat up in bed, sleep clearing from her mind. _I'm getting married today._ Her stomach fluttered at the thought, a nervous excitement growing inside of her that the day was finally here.

There was a knock on the door, causing her to jump slightly. _Who could possibly be up already?_ She pulled the covers from her and rose from the bed, wrapping a robe around herself as she made her way to the door. She palmed the door open to find C-3PO waiting on the other side holding a tray of covered dishes and a small bouquet of flowers. He shuffled his way into the room past Leia, already yammering a parsec a minute.

"Good morning, Princess! I was sent by General Solo to deliver you breakfast". He set the tray onto a table in the sitting area near the fireplace and continued on. "I also need to make sure everything is in order before Master Luke arrives. It really is a beautiful day for a wedding". C-3PO busied himself with unpacking and organizing things for the wedding around the room, still occasionally remarking about something to himself as he worked.

Leia sat into an armchair, trying to ignore the droid and looked towards the tray. A small bouquet of wildflowers sat near the edge of the tray, a small envelope resting against the vase. She picked it up and turned it over in her fingers, pulling out a small note card from it and immediately noticed Han's sloppy penmanship scrawled across it.

 _Morning my princess._

 _Sorry for sending Goldenrod over so early._

 _Can't wait until I can see my beautiful bride._

 _Enjoy the breakfast and the flowers._

 _Love you._

 _-Han_

She smiled at the sweetness of the note and how thoughtful her soon to be husband could be. She pulled the cover from dishes and looked at the tray of food: Corellian hot cakes, links of nerf sausage and sliced stew fruit. Han had assembled her favorite breakfast, one he would often cook for her on mornings they had free together. She began to eat, C-3PO interrupting her meal before she felt like she even had a chance to swallow a bite.

"Princess, where would you like me to hang your gown? Will you be needing more hair pins?" His questions seemed never ending. If there wasn't so much to do, she would have shut him down and sat him in a corner already.

* * *

Luke had arrived at her room shortly after she had finished her breakfast, dressed in his simple Jedi robes, looking slightly hungover. She had sent 3PO to get them caf hoping a mug of the strong liquid would put some color back into his face. Luke kept her company, easy conversation flowing between them as she applied her makeup and readied her hair. She pinned a few pieces of her long locks away from her face, the rest of her hair in loose curls that cascaded down her back. Luke glanced at the chronometer on the wall, noting that they were drawing close to the time they needed leave for the ceremony.

"Just the gown and you're ready?" He asked, hoping there was nothing else she needed to do, slightly amazed at how long it had taken her to do her hair.

"Yes, now go wait over there" she shooed Luke towards the sitting area so she could change in private. A small folding screen had been set up in the corner of the bedroom, her dress hanging neatly from a corner of it. She stepped behind the screen and looked at her wedding gown in front of her. It looked exactly as she had wanted it to, if not better than it had in the dress shop on Chandrila. The top of the dress was overlaid with dark green lace with simple three quarter length lace sleeves and a scooping neckline. The lace bodice met with emerald silk at an empire waistline, dropping to the floor in smooth folds. It was simple but beautiful, tailored to perfection. Leia removed the dress from the hanger and stepped into it, pulling the fabric over herself, carefully slipping her arms into the lace sleeves. She smoothed the silky fabric down against her legs before reaching behind her to fasten the back of it, easily zipping it closed. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror that rested against the wall. Her skin looked milky white against the deep green of the material, her brown eyes and hair seeming to sparkle along with it. She suddenly felt like a bride as she stared at her reflection. She clasped a thin gold necklace around her neck, adjusting the small emerald charm that hung from it so it sat centered on her chest. A few curls fell over her shoulders, cascading down the front of her body. She took one last look at herself before stepping back out into the room.

"Oh, Princess, you look wonderful!" C-3PO declared.

"You really do". Luke stood from the chair making his way closer to her and hugging her.

"Thank you" she replied, welcoming Luke's embrace. She suddenly felt emotional, knowing that if Bail and Breha were able to see her today, they would agree with her brother. She silently somehow knew they would be happy for her. She let Luke go from the hug and took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, preparing herself, knowing it was time to go.

* * *

Luke and Leia made their way up the staircase to the third floor of the home, pausing on the top stairs to allow C-3PO to go ahead of them into the room to join R2-D2 and the others waiting for her arrival. She felt a flurry of emotions as they stepped forward into the hallway and to the outside of the ballroom doors. Leia held gently onto the crook of Luke's elbow as the doors swung open and they took their first steps to make their way down the aisle. Leia's heart beat quickly in her chest. She looked down the aisle and saw Han waiting for her at the end of it. He was dressed in his General's uniform, his hands folded in front of him. He looked incredibly handsome as she made her way closer to him, noticing he couldn't stop smiling, his gaze focused solely on her. Chewbacca stood next to him, letting out a small growl as he rested his paw against Han's shoulder, patting it gently in a reassuring manner that let Han know he wasn't dreaming, this was really happening. Leia wasn't even sure if she was breathing as she continued to walk, her body feeling as if automatically it knew where to go, her eyes unable to pull themselves from Han, time seeming to stand still around her.

Leia and Luke paused at the end of the aisle, Leia turning to Luke and hugging him tightly before he made his way to stand next to Chewbacca. Leia stepped forward, Han taking her hand.

"You look beautiful" he whispered to her as they turned to face each other, both of their hands now joined together. Leia smiled at him, her eyes once again meeting his.

Leia took a breath and squeezed Han's hands gently. She had taken the time to memorize her vows, but even her years of training and public speaking could not have prepared her for this moment. She looked deep into his hazel eyes as she began to speak.

"I, Leia, pledge to you, Han, before this assembled company to be your wife from this day forward. Whatever lies ahead in the galaxy, good or bad, we will face together. You are all I could ever need in my life and I choose to stand by your side. I love you until the end of time".

Han felt a tear forming in the corner of his eye as he gazed back at her, lost in her beauty and the words she had just pledged to him. He cracked a small smile, hoping no one would notice that his eyes were watering, his hands trembling slightly as they held hers, his nerves getting the best of him for a second. He wanted every word he was about to say to come out perfectly.

"I, Han, pledge to you, Leia, before this assembled company to be your husband from this day forward. There is nothing we cannot face if we stand together. I promise to be your partner in all things, to care for you and to protect you. You are my light and one lifetime with you could never be enough. I love you."

Han wrapped his arms around Leia pulling her close and kissed her. The room erupted in cheers and applause, Chewbacca letting out an ecstatic howl as R2-D2 beeped excitedly next to him. They broke from their first kiss as husband and wife and Han took Leia's hand as they made their way back down the aisle, passing their smiling guests. The celebratory noise for the couple faded as music began to float thru the room as they departed from the ballroom into the empty hallway, the door shutting behind them, giving them a moment alone.

Han grabbed Leia's hips, her feet lifting from the ground as he spun her around, her laughter echoing thru the hallway. He gently set her down as he smiled at her.

"How does it feel to be Mrs. Solo?" He asked, liking the way the title Mrs sounded in front of his last name.

"The best feeling in the whole galaxy" she replied, smiling back at him.

He took a long look at her. "You look absolutely amazing in Corellian green, sweetheart".

"You clean up pretty well yourself for a scruffy looking nerf herder" she giggled, raising up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

They both heard the door click open behind them, C-3PO appearing into the hall.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have been informed that it is customary be introduced before celebrations of matrimony can begin. Your guests are waiting and require your presence at this time".

Leia took Han's hand in her own as he rolled his eyes at the droid, forever interrupting moments between them.

"Come on, husband" she smiled as they made their way back into the room.

The wedding guests erupted in cheers and applause again as the couple entered the room as C-3PO announced them before making their way to a table that had been set at the head of the room, Chewbacca and Luke already sitting awaiting them.

Han pulled the chair out from the table, allowing Leia to sit first. He sat next to her, his hand resting against the small of her back. For the first time, Leia actually took in her surroundings. She felt as she had been floating thru the ceremony, her nerves and excitement subsiding as she took in the fact that she was now officially married, her husband sitting next to her. _My husband_ she mused to herself. _I like the sound of that._ She looked out at the room, taking in all of the details and decorations. Simple bouquets of flowers sat in the middle of linen draped tables, guests seated around them. It was exactly as she had imagined it to be, simple yet pretty, nothing too extravagant. She knew she easily could have had the wedding to end all weddings, something that would be plastered across every holo entertainment page in the galaxy, but that's not how she wished to be portrayed. The guest list was small, this day was about her and Han, their love and the people that were the closest to them and she couldn't have asked for anything better.

* * *

She felt as though dinner flew by and before she knew it, the reception was in full swing. Upbeat music reverberated around the room as couple from various tables took to the floor dancing.

"We should probably start to make our way around to thank everyone for their attendance" Leia suggested, knowing that they needed to be polite to their guests.

"As long as you promise me a dance afterwards" Han requested.

Han and Leia made their way thru the room, smiling and nodding as various guests wished them well as they passed by their tables. Wedge stepped towards Han, clapping him across the back.

"Congratulations!" He excitedly declared. "Your wife looks as if she could have come from Corellia herself!"

"Thanks, buddy. She really is stunning" Han beamed, glancing at Leia, now engrossed in a conversation of her own with Mon Mothma and General Rieekan.

"You look wonderful, Princess. Congratulations. It was a beautiful ceremony and this room, oh, it's just stunning" Mon mused to Leia.

"Thank you, Mon" she graciously replied, surprised that Mon had liked the simplicity of it all.

"You make a beautiful bride. Your parents would so happy if they could see you right now" Rieekan stated.

Leia felt a second of sadness at Rieekan's words. She wished deep down that they were here, but she also reminded herself that she would never be marrying Han in the first place if events of the past hadn't happened in the way that they had. She tried not to dwell in that fact, knowing that everything had happened for a reason, her attention quickly snapping back to reality as Lando's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Well, hello, beautiful. You look absolutely stunning today " Lando smoothly said as took a step closer to her.

"Hey now, you old smoothie, she's a married woman now". Han wrapped his arm around Leia, pulling her close to his side, grinning cockily at Lando.

"Never thought I'd see the day Solo got married, but I couldn't be happier for you. Best wishes to you both. How about a drink to celebrate?" Lando suggested as he pulled a small flask from his cape and jiggled it in Han's direction.

"Bespin's finest" he laughed.

"Alright, alright". Han took the flask from Lando's hand and drew a long sip, the liquor almost sickeningly sweet to him as he swallowed it. He held the flask in his hand, looking in Leia's direction, expecting her to decline politely.

Leia looked at the flask and then around the room. She noticed that Mon and Rieekan were deep in conversation with a group of Alliance officials, not paying any attention to her. "Oh what the hells" she said, taking the flask from Han's hand and taking a small sip, unsure of what to expect of the contents. She winced at first, expecting the liquor to be as harsh as the Corellian whiskey Han drank. She was surprised at the candied flavor, relaxing at the pleasantness of it. She handed the flask back to Lando.

"That's my wife!" Han declared, laughing as he kissed the top of her hair, proud of Leia and her unladylike moment. Lando congratulated the couple once again before leaving them to selves.

"How about that dance I promised you?" Leia suggested, hoping to finally have a moment alone with Han.

"After you, my princess".


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note:**_ _It's wedding night time! If you don't want to read pure wedding night smut, move along…move along (don't worry you won't miss any story plot if you skip ahead because there really is none). This chapter contains sexual situations, nudity, language and two recently married very much in love adults doing stuff to each other. You've been warned._

* * *

The evening had grown late, Leia's head still swirling from the reception as Han intertwined his fingers with hers as they walked towards their room. Han palmed open the door and let go of Leia's hand as he swept an arm under the back of knees, her petite body now cradled in his arms. She held onto his neck, surprised at quickly he had picked her up, wondering what could have possibly possessed him to want to hold her in the hallway.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, a confused look on her face as she smirked at him.

"Corellian tradition. I have to carry my wife over the threshold for good luck" he explained, surprised it was a foreign concept to his Alderaanian bride, figuring everyone in the galaxy held to some form of the tradition. He stepped into the room, palming the door shut behind them before gently placing her back onto her feet, her hands freeing themselves from their grasp on his neck.

"Any other Corellian traditions we need to abide to?" She stepped close to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, her dark eyes looking up at him as her body pressed against his.

"Not that I can think of" he replied, barely able to think at all now that her body was so close to his. "Any Alderaanian ones?"

"Well, there's just one" she breathed, her lips resting gently against his as she delicately kissed him.

"And what would that be?" He mused back to her, catching the change in voice, the sweet sexiness it took on when she wanted him.

"Any scoundrels who marry princesses get to do whatever they like to them on their wedding night" she playfully teased.

Han kissed Leia deeply, his hands running down her back.

"Don't tell me things like that, you don't know what kind of trouble you could find yourself in" he flirtatiously warned to her, a multitude of ideas running thru his mind of what he wanted to do to her, hardly dwelling on the fact that her "tradition" was a load of bantha crap as far as authenticity went.

"I'd like to find out" she purred against his ear before sucking on his earlobe, her lips making their way down the side of his neck.

He groaned to himself. How she had that power over him sometimes, just the way she said things in her sultry voice made him on edge, long before even undressing her. The way she teased him with nothing more than words drove him crazy, his desire for her burning inside of him.

He pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply, his tongue meeting hers, the passion growing between them. He could feel her fingers working at the buttons on his coat, undoing them quickly, hardly interrupting their kiss as she unhooked the last one, pushing the coat open and down from his shoulders. He moved his arms slightly, allowing the article of clothing fall to the floor leaving him in a plain white undershirt before returning his arms to around her body. He blindly felt for the zipper at the back of her dress, feeling the cool metal pull in his fingers as he slid the fastener open, the smooth skin of her back now exposed for his touch. He ran his hands up against it before gently grabbing the fabric of her dress near her shoulders, her arms pulling themselves from the sleeves before he allowed the dress to drop to the floor around her in a pool of emerald silk. Han paused for a moment to look at her, wearing nothing more than a short slip that barely hung past her hips, the soft fabric hanging over her body by thin straps on her shoulders, the silk so thin he could see the outline of her peaked nipples thru it.

"If I knew that's what you had on under your gown this whole time, the reception would have been a whole lot shorter" he breathed.

He picked her up as she quietly laughed at his comment, her legs wrapping around his waist as he stepped with her near the edge of the bed, laying her gently onto the blankets. He pulled his own shirt over his head as he looked down at her, her hair fanning out underneath her in loose curls. He leaned over her, kissing her, her chest rising and falling under him as he left her lips, exploring down her neck, nipping at her skin as he kissed his way across her chest. He could feel her hands reached towards him, her fingers working his belt buckle undone. She ran a finger mischievously along his waistband, tracing dangerously low against his skin as his eyes met hers. She bit the corner of her bottom lip and looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes. He knew that look from her. She wanted more then gentle kissing, she wanted him, all of him. He wanted her too, but not so quickly. He wanted to tease her first, push her over the edge before giving himself into her.

He ran his hands against the outside of her thighs, pushing what little of silk fabric that covered her up around her waist. He kissed against her smooth stomach and then her hipbones as he parted her legs, exposing her to him. He could tell she was already wet, longing for him and he wanted to taste her. He pressed his mouth against her, drawing small circles against her folds as she let out a satisfactory moan, her fingers running thru his hair. He quickened his pace, sucking at her with a growing fury. Her grasp on him grew tighter, her fingers curling around the ends of hair against his neck, her moans growing louder. He wanted to push to her to edge, to the point where she could no longer contain herself. He slid a hand down the inside of her thigh, working a finger inside of her, his mouth never letting up. She gasped, her body drawing a deep breath. She was close, he could tell, her body tensing and tightening against him. He sucked at her, her moans becoming breathless panting as she arched her back, his hips raising against him, a long exhale as her legs shook, her mind seeing nothing but stars. He broke away from her, kissing her stomach gently before leaning over her, his weight hovering above her as he looked down at her, her eyelashes fluttering as she opened her eyes to look in his. He undid his pants the rest of the way, finishing what she had started earlier.

She kissed him deeply, able to feel his hardness hovering near her between her legs. She wanted him inside of her, her body feeling empty without him.

"Fuck me" she whispered as she breathed between a kiss, pulling him close as her legs wrapped around his body.

Han's skin tingled at the mixture of her voice begging for him and her choice of words. He pushed against her, exhaling as he slid into her, her hips raising to meet his as he slowly began to work his way in and out of her. Her fingertips traced against the back of his shoulders as he picked up speed. The feeling of her warmth around him, their bodies meeting together caused him to moan her name under his breath. He looked down at her, her eyes closed and lips parted. Her breasts bounced against her chest with each thrust. He slowed his pace, causing her eyes to open slightly, her legs loosening their grip from around him.

"C'mere" he murmured. Her legs dropped from around him as he withdrew from her. He pulled her body to the edge of the bed, taking the edge of her slip and working it over her head and tossing it aside, exposing her body completely to him as he allowed his own pants to fall completely from around him. He flipped her on the bed, her now on her hands and knees, her feet dangling from the edge. Her fingers ran thru her hair, gathering it over one shoulder as she glanced at him, a devilish smirk on her face, knowing he wanted her in this position, exposed and waiting for him.

He ran his tongue across his fingers before drawing them across her folds. He knew she was more then ready for him, but just wanted to make sure because he had no more intentions of soft and slow with her. Her body shook at his touch, heightened to the point that even the slightest caress made electricity pulse thru her veins. He held onto her hips as he pressed into her, her hips moving to meet him and take him in. He ran his fingers up her spine, pushing her shoulders down to the bed so her ass was raised for him. He worked in and out of her, her fingers curling thru the blankets, grasping for anything to hold onto as his pace quickened. She felt his palm against her ass, a slap that left her pale skin a tinge of pink, his rhythm never ceasing.

"I like that, you scruffy scoundrel" she purred, her voice partly muffled by the blankets.

"Oh, do you?" He replied, his palm meeting her cheek once again, another sharp slap echoing thru the room.

She groaned with pleasure. Han loved this secret side of her. The one that was anything but a perfect princess, the one who was riding against him, face down into a blanket begging him for more.

"You like when I fuck you like this?" He moaned, his hips crashing into her, his fingers digging into her hips for leverage, wondering how much longer he could keep up the pace before finishing or just plain passing out from overexertion.

"Oh gods, Han" she breathed, her body beginning to tighten around him.

She went over the edge, her legs shaking underneath her, a violent tidal wave of orgasm ripping thru her. She could barely breath, gasping for air as she felt him tighten his grip on her hips, spilling into her. She opened her eyes slightly as she felt him pull away from her, the cool air washing over her in his absence. She rolled to her side as Han flopped down onto the bed next to her, his forehead beaded with sweat. His pushed back his hair as he looked at her, an equally disheveled mess, her once perfect curls now hanging limply around her, stray strands of hair pressed against her damp forehead. She picked up her head as he slid an arm under her, both of their chests still rising and falling rapidly as they lay together. He kissed the top of her head as he pulled her close to him, the curve of her body fitting into his. They lay together in silence for a few minutes, both of them trying to regain their composure, their breaths finally steadying.

"I love you, my husband" Leia whispered, breaking thru the silence.

"I love you too, my wife" he replied, kissing her forehead. He liked saying those words. _His wife._ Knowing that Leia was his and he was hers for all eternity made him feel as though he was the luckiest man in the entire galaxy. Her fingers traced along his sides, her touch gentle against his skin.

"You think I'm done with you for the night? She giggled, the laughter in her voice hinting at the fact that she was not planning on them getting much, if any, sleep tonight.

"I don't know, Princess. Think you can take another round already?" He asked, already knowing the answer to his question as his hand wandered across her leg, his fingers tracing up the inside of her thigh, brushing against her wetness.

"Show me what you got, fly boy".


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's note:**_ _Sorry for the delay in updating this! I was jammed up on it for awhile on top of being busy with real life…_

Leia wrapped her arms around Han and kissed him gently on the cheek causing him to stir in his sleep.

"Good morning, my husband" she whispered to him as he slowly woke up, his eyes blinking a few times before he rolled to face her, pulling her close beneath the blankets.

"Good morning, my wife". She was beautiful in the morning light, her hair loose and disheveled, falling around her face and against the pillows. He ran his hand down the curve of her side, noting that she was still naked under the covers, her smooth skin warm against his touch. He kissed her gently, reviling in the fact that he would spend the rest of his life waking up like this to his gorgeous princess.

Leia giggled as he kissed her over and over, his fingers tracing against her side, his lips moving from hers to her neck, leaving a trail of affection down to her collarbone.

"I don't think I have any energy left in me for another round" she joked, a hint of truth in her words. Their wedding night left them with very little sleep, the two spending it intertwined with each other. She looked over her shoulder and around the room, now in disarray from the evening before with their clothing tossed about. Her wedding gown still lay in a pool of emerald fabric on the floor from where Han had removed it from her.

"I think you wore me out too my princess" he said as he kissed her neck once again.

"No more of that Corellian stamina left you keep bragging about?" She giggled quietly, his scruffy cheek nuzzling into the base of her neck, the soft stubble tickling against her skin.

"Mmm, I could just lay here forever with you" he whispered to her.

"I wish we could".

"Who says we couldn't?" Han laughed.

"It's an Alliance order we return to base in a week. Plus we promised we would meet Luke and Chewie for breakfast today before they leave the planet" she reminded him.

"I know, my princess". He lifted his face away from her neck, already missing the sweet smell of her skin, knowing that they couldn't leave the Jedi and Wookiee waiting on them.

Han gave her one more kiss before pulling the covers from himself. She watched him as he pulled on a pair of gray boxers before making his way to the refresher. She took in one last long stare at her handsome husband, drinking in his muscular arms and his tanned skin, smiling to herself that she was in fact married to him. She sat up in bed as she heard the shower water switch on. She reached for the bedside table for her comm, figuring she could make the necessary calls to finalize the details of their marriage while Han got ready. She switched it on, the feed of static humming until a woman's voice came thru, her words cut with a thick Corellian accent.

"Corellian Office of Official Licensing, thank you for holding, how many I assist you today?"

"Yes, I would like to file a marriage license, please" Leia stated.

"Of course. What is your name?"

"Leia Organa...Solo". She smiled as she said her new name, liking the new addition to the end of it.

"Ah, yes, Mrs. Solo, our files show that you have been legally married now for a few standard weeks. Your paperwork shows that it was filed in person here in our Coronet offices" the woman stated.

"Uh, well, yes we were in your offices a few standard weeks ago, but something came up and we did not finish the form, at least I don't believe we did" Leia explained, confused on why the woman was telling her that her and Han were already married.

"Mrs. Solo, our records show that you in fact did complete everything needed for a marriage in Coronet. As of the 13th, your marriage was legally binding galaxy-wide. If this is somehow a mistake, I can transfer you to a legal separation representative".

"No, that won't be necessary. Thank you for your help" Leia said as she clicked the comm off and placed it back onto the table. Han emerged from the refresher, his chest bare and hair damp from the shower. He finished buttoning his bloodstripes as he made his way over to her, sitting down on the bed.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" He asked, noting she looked slightly confused.

She couldn't help but to smile. On paper, they had already been husband and wife for weeks, unbenounced to either of them.

"Nothing. Remember how we basically ran out of Coronet?" She asked him, not sure exactly at first how to explain to him the situation.

"How could I forget? I thought you were going to blast me in the middle of the street that day".

"Turns out we had completed everything and that clerk still ran our license thru. We've been technically married since then" she explained.

"So, you've been my wife for the past couple of weeks?" He processed the whole situation in his mind, another untraditional aspect of their relationship together adding itself to the list.

"Mmm-hmm" she hummed.

"I can't be mad about that" he smiled back at her. He looked at his wife, smiling back at him. There was nothing in the galaxy he could possibly love more than her and if they were married a few extra weeks, to hells with it, it would be their secret between each other. All that mattered to him was they were together.

* * *

Han and Leia made their way into in the small cantina, the same one they had been at the night before their wedding. Chewbacca growled happily at the couple as they sat down at the table, followed by low growl and a Wookiee chuckle directed towards Han.

"I know I look tired" Han replied, not translating what the Wookiee had said to Leia. She could only imagine what joke Chewie could have made to Han, glad her brother was not there yet to hear any of the exchange.

A few moments later, Luke made his way into the cantina and joined the group, conversation and laughter between them quickly floating around the table. Luke eagerly ordered as many types of traditional Corellian dishes as he possibly could, Han poking fun at the Jedi about his newfound love of Corellian food. Leia felt like the whole meal was a blur, before she knew it, it was time to say goodbye to her brother and Chewbacca, hugging her brother and the Wookiee tightly before they made their way to the spaceport.

* * *

Han and Leia stayed behind on Corellia after saying farewell to Luke and Chewbacca, the week they had set aside for a honeymoon flew by in a swirl of relaxing by the beach and lovemaking, sometimes not leaving their room for hours on end, too lost in each other to care about much else. Leia felt relaxed, the rest of the galaxy and any troubles that came along with it seeming a million parsecs from where she was currently. She wished it would never end, finding herself daydreaming about a life here on Corellia in the sleepy seaside village with Han. She folded the last of her clothing, pushing it into her already overflowing suitcase.

"Ready to go, my princess?" Han asked as he pulled on his vest.

"Not at all" she stated back to him, finally getting the zipper on the luggage to close.

He took a step closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her tightly pinned braids. He already missed the way she had let her hair down over the past week, long and flowing in loose waves brought on by the salt water of the ocean, not ready to return to Alliance life himself.

"You seem to really like it here".

"I do. I don't want go back to Chandrila, back to meetings and work and everything else".

Han smiled. He loved that she loved his home world so much and he also wished that their life could be nothing more than relaxing by the ocean with each other, but he knew that wasn't reality for either of them.

"The Alliance needs you" he reminded her.

"I know. It needs both of us".

* * *

The Falcon landed in the hanger on base in Chandrila, the engines humming as Han flipped the necessary switches to shut them down. Leia's comm began buzzing as the engine noise faded around them, her hands quickly fumbling for it in her jacket pocket before answering it, wondering who could possibly be comming her already.

"Princess, Have you returned to base? There are some things we need to discuss as soon as possible" Mon's voice floated thru the static of the comm frequency.

"We actually just landed, I will be there shortly". Leia clicked her comm off before looking at Han, a clearly annoyed look on his face.

"We've been back for less than 5 standard minutes and that women already wants something from you?" He muttered as he flipped a few more switches on the control panel.

"I know, Han. I have to go though, it might be something important. I have been away from work for quite some time, I've got a lot of catching up to do". She rose from her seat and leaned to kiss Han, his arms wrapping around her, taking her by surprise as he pulled her closer to him, deepening their kiss. She felt his hand against her backside, firmly squeezing it before he broke from the kiss and looked at her longingly like a sad lost bantha cub. She giggled at his gesture, he was not making it easy to leave just yet.

"Later, fly boy, I promise".

* * *

Leia stepped into Mon's office, palming the door behind her closed before making her way towards Mon's desk.

"Princess, please, have a seat" Mon stated as she gestured towards a chair near her desk.

"Of course, Mon" Leia replied, as she took a seat, wondering what Mon could possibly need her for so quickly after her return.

"Beautiful wedding you had. I was so glad to see you so happy, Princess. Did you enjoy your time on Corellia?" Mon asked, smiling gently at Leia.

"Thank you and Corellia was wonderful" she politely replied, secretly hoping that was all Mon wished to discuss with her.

Mon wasted no time in jumping back into work related matters, her smile fading as she spoke. "Since you've been gone, there have been quite a few things that have piled up that I need to bring to your attention".

Leia quietly sighed, hoping Mon did not catch her displeasure of being tossed back into work so quickly. She would have at least liked to unpacked first before the weight of the galaxy was back on her shoulders.

"First off, I need to discuss with you the de-briefing General Solo and Commander Skywalker had with General Rieekan a few weeks ago regarding that little incident that happened to them in the Hosnian system".

 _Just what I want to discuss right now_ Leia thought to herself as her mind slipped back to a few days ago, her body leaned against Han's on the sandy Corellian beach, the warm salty breeze from the ocean blowing against them as the waves lapped against the shore in the distance. She pulled herself back to reality, attempting to regain focus on Mon.

She looked across the desk to Mon, who was now flipping thru her data pad, her glance leaving the screen and focusing on Leia.

"Have you had a chance to read the official report of the incident from Commander Skywalker?" Mon asked.

"I have not, I'm sorry". _I was on my honeymoon and she thinks I was going to read some report?_ she thought to herself, trying not to laugh out loud. She was starting to side with Han, his longstanding disdain for Mon and her never ending commitment to Alliance matters clearly understandable to her now in this moment.

"I have some concerns from it. I know that General Solo and Commander Skywalker were targeted by pirates. I have spoken with General Rieekan and he agrees with me that there might be more to this. If outlaws have taken to targeting our supply runs, there might be some sort of agreement between them and any remaining Imperial sympathizers. We might have considerable danger in our hands if we continue to use our current contacts and routes. We still need supply runs to keep our bases running, and new contacts around the galaxy are vital to us".

"What does the Alliance intend to do?" She asked, slightly concerned.

"We have been in talks with Bordal while you were away. We need to establish a supply line from other areas then the ones we have been using, keep quiet for awhile and the Rseik sector has been looking promising to us. The Bordali are reluctant to help us though, in fear that they may be targeted themselves if they become involved with the Alliance, but the economy of the planet has been suffering for years and we could help them greatly. We need to have some negotiations though, something I know that your skills could come in use for. You have been well trained in diplomatic negotiations, Princess, a great asset to the Alliance, especially in a time like this".

Leia was less than thrilled at the idea of a diplomatic mission to the outer rim so soon, knowing that Han would be even more displeased at the idea, but there was little either of them could do to avoid it.

"I understand and agree that the Alliance needs to have a working relationship, especially with outer rim planets" she replied in her most diplomatic tone, hiding any personal frustrations under her calm voice.

"I will keep you updated on the situation and when we will need you to leave. I trust you will alert General Solo to the situation at hand?" Mon asked, setting her data pad down onto her desk.

"Of course, Mon".

Leia rose from her chair and turned to leave Mon's office. She walked thru the halls of the base, the occasional Alliance personnel offering her a simple "Congratulations" as she passed by them. Leia was hardly phased that the word that her and Han had gotten married traveled so quickly around the base, other things were on her mind at the moment. Her thoughts raced at Mon's decision for them, annoyance swelling inside of her. She walked across the hanger, the Falcon now sitting in the distance, each step filling her with dread of how she was going to break the news to Han. She made her way up the ship's ramp, finding Han sitting in the lounge.

"That was fairly quick" Han remarked, surprised to see Leia back so soon, figuring Mon would have taken up more of her time. "How's my beautiful wife?".

She was glad to see her husband again but the feelings inside of her were still swirling. She gave him a quick kiss before leaning against the edge of the holo chess table. Han noticed she looked annoyed, wondering what possibly could have come up in the meeting with Mon to have her looking so glum.

"Mon's planning on sending us to some sector on the outer rim to establish supply connections there" she huffed, no longer able to contain her frustrations.

"Sweetheart, you knew that the Alliance wouldn't let us take time off forever". He was surprised at the immediate assignment, but focused on calming Leia's frustrations over his own at the orders.

"But to just ship us off so quickly on some mission?" Her voice sounded sad, her dark eyes reflecting how upset she was.

"Should we just take off now and hide out back on Corellia?" He joked in attempt to make her feel better about the situation.

She pushed herself off the edge of the holo chess table and sat against Han's lap, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his shirt.

"Can we please?" Her voice was muffled as she spoke into his chest, Han hardly believing what she was saying, years of putting the Alliance before herself somehow disappearing in a moment. He never imagined he would be the voice of reason between them regarding Alliance matters. He ran his hand down her back, trying to reassure her that it wasn't so bad.

"It could be worse, Mon could have sent me to one side of the galaxy and you to the other" he pointed out to her.

"True" she admitted. It could have been much worse, at least they were being sent to the outer rim together. She picked her head up from his chest and looked at her husband, his hazel eyes focusing on her.

"After everything we've been thru, this is nothing, my Princess".


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note:** Sorry for the lack of updating this in awhile. _

Mon made her way thru the hangar, her white cape billowing behind her, flanked by two guards, walking in unison beside her. General Rieekan followed them, a few steps behind. The base personal stopped whatever work they were doing, looking at the chancellor was she passed, an unusual quiet falling throughout the normally noisy hanger in her presence. Mon rarely went down to the hangar, if she needed to speak to someone directly, she would call them to her office or the message was relayed thru a superior to them.

Two pilots leaned against the side of their X wings, watching as the group past them, clearly heading in the direction of the Falcon.

"She's looking for General Solo" one of the pilots whispered to his friend standing besides him, watching Mon in the distance stopping in front of the Falcon's ramp.

"Solo's probably in deep shit if Mothma came down here directly for him" the other pilot replied, his voice low as he watched Han in the distance descend down the ramp to meet the group.

"Think she found out he finally knocked up the Princess?" the first pilot laughed quietly, causing the other man to roll his eyes.

"That's just a rumor. They've only been married for what, like a week?" his friend quipped back. He had heard the rumors about the Princess and the General that floated thru the mess hall as much as everyone else had, hardly believing much truth behind any of them, some so ludicrous he couldn't believe that people actually believed them.

"You know what they say about Corellians though" the pilot laughed as he picked up a hydrospanner and turned to resume his work.

* * *

Leia had been busy finishing up inventory of things on the Falcon when she faintly heard Han's boot steps descending the ramp and Mon's voice in the distance. She set her data pad down and tip toed down the hall of the ship towards the lounge, intrigued by what Mon and Han could have to discuss with each other and what could possibly have made Mon come to the ship directly. She carefully pressed herself in a corner to try and hear the conversation better, her eavesdropping skills ones that she had perfected as a child in the Alderaanian palace, always curious about what her father discussed in his meetings, long before she ever was included in them.

"General Solo. I trust that your ship is about ready to leave?" Mon asked Han, looking him up and down as she spoke. His shirt was flecked with spots of ship grease, his hair slightly disheveled and in need of a cut, shaggy strands flipping out along the neckline of his shirt collar and around his ears. Mon silently had hoped that Leia would had cleaned her new husband up a little during their time off, hoping she could make Han look a bit more like General and less like a common freighter Captain.

"We are" Han replied, wondering what in the hells Mon was doing down here awaiting to speak with him outside of his own ship. All coordinates and details of the mission had already been sent to Leia, normal Alliance protocol of any mission they had been sent on. Leia had mentioned nothing to him earlier about Mon needing to speak with him, usually she was the messenger between the two and Han wished it would had stayed that way.

"I also trust that you will try to avoid any _entanglements_ on this mission". Han instantly detected the snippiness in Mon's voice, thinly veiled behind a fake diplomatic tone. He wasn't stupid, he could see right thru it, knowing she was using the same tricks that Leia sometimes would use to hide true emotions in a conversation.

"You won't have any additional reports to fill out when we get back this time" Han abruptly retorted back at Mon, pressing back the surge of annoyance within him at her comment. He really wanted to tell Mon to go shove her mission right up a bantha's ass and never surprise him outside of his own ship again. "The last place I want the Falcon to end up is in the surface of a planet".

"Wish you could say the same thing about Alliance ships" Mon chided to him.

"Wish I could have had any control over a situation that wasn't my fault" Han countered, hardly caring what position Mon held anymore. He wasn't about to let Mon blame him for what happened on the supply run with Luke. He felt as though Mon wanted to find any excuse to send him off as soon as possible upon returning and he didn't like the politics she was trying play one bit.

Mon took a deep breath, knowing when to bow out of a conversation and politely saluted Han, excusing herself before words could grow harsher between them. "I will let you get on your way, General. May the force be with you".

Mon turned and began making her way back across the hanger, her silent guards following suit behind her. Han pursed his lips at her retreating figure, shooting Mon's back a snarky look, hardly noticing General Rieekan stepping towards him.

"There are days I want to give her the same look" Rieekan smiled. Han's expression quickly softened, realizing that Rieekan had just caught him clearly giving the chancellor of the New Republic a very dirty look. "Don't let her get to you. I'm sorry you and the Princess are being sent off so quickly after your return. How is the Princess doing?" Rieekan asked, his voice showing his genuine concern for Leia.

"She wasn't exactly happy about the news" Han truthfully answered. He knew Rieekan was one of the few people in the Alliance who showed personal concern for anyone, especially when it came to Leia, one of the many reasons he respected Rieekan for.

"I knew she wouldn't be. I tried to convince the Chancellor to send someone else. We have plenty of people who are growing restless on base, wanting to go anywhere but stay here. I never would have thought that rebuilding from war would sometimes be more difficult than the war itself".

"I don't think the Princess has had a chance to really figure everything out yet, as much as she thinks she has" Han shifted his weight from one foot to another, his temper from the exchange with Mon cooling off.

"She's a strong and stubborn woman isn't she?" Rieekan's expression softened as he spoke.

"She can be. Most good women are" Han chuckled.

"You're a good man, Solo. I know you'll do what's best for you and the Princess. Don't let the Chancellor get to you". Rieekan extended his hand, shaking Han's firmly before turning to leave.

* * *

Han made his way to the opposite side of his ship, ducking his head under the Falcon, his fingers grazing across the belly of the ship as he finished the last of the required pre-flight checks so they could leave. He tried not to think of Mon's words to him as he double checked the shield generators, unaware to the fact Leia had overheard the conversation and was now silently making her way down the ramp on the other side of the ship. He gave the side of his ship a friendly pat, everything on the Falcon seemed to be in working order as he headed back around to the ramp, calling out to Leia as reached the top of it.

"Hey, sweetheart!" his voice echoed thru the ship as he called out for his wife. He received no answer as made his way to the cockpit where Chewie was already waiting for him in his co-pilot's chair.

[Everything good?] Chewbacca growled as he flipped a few switches, the Falcon's engine roaring to life around them.

"Where's Leia?" he asked, expecting her to already be waiting for him, if anything, slightly annoyed at him that they were already running behind the official Alliance schedule for the mission they have been given.

[She was taking inventory last I saw her]

Han turned from the cockpit and briskly walked down the hall, calling out to Leia again, his voice louder now to reach over the low roar of the Falcon's warming engines, wondering where she could possibly be. He stopped for a moment and picked up her data pad from the grating of the hallway floor, curious of why his normally organized wife would just leave her pad carelessly on the floor. He palmed the door to their bunk open, only to find an empty room. He set her data pad onto her nightstand before turning back to the hall, shouting out her name again, still with no response, confusion now overtaking him as he made his way back to the cockpit.

"I can't find her" Han stated as he leaned against the doorway of the cockpit and looked at his Wookiee co-pilot.

[What do you mean?]

"She's not on the ship. Where in the hells is she? Shut it down, Chewie" he ordered, confusion and worry apparent in his voice. The Wookiee flipped the engines off, the roar of the ship's engines fading to a silence.

[Let's go check the base] Chewie woofed, already rising from his seat, ready to find the Princess, figuring she probably had run somewhere last minute and that Han was making a big deal out of nothing.

"No, it's okay. I'll go find her. You stay here" Han ordered to the Wookiee.

* * *

Leia walked thru the hanger, her head low, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, not that her presence would raise any suspicions the way Mon's had earlier. She had made her way outside of the base, her pace quickening as she walked down the street, the usually warm summer sun absent from the sky today, replaced by a thick overcast of clouds. Her mind raced, her rational side screaming at her to turn around, to go back to base and how stupid she was being for just walking away when she knew they needed to be leaving on a mission. _Where do you think you are going to go? You think you can just walk away from the Alliance and no one will notice you're gone?_ Her steps did not slow any, her feet continued to stomp against the ground in frustration. _After everything I've done for them, for the galaxy, everything I've been thru, I'm still just a little piece in their holo chess game. Oh ship Leia off and drag Han along, it's okay, she'll make everything better for us. No one ever asked if we are okay with any of this_ she grumbled to herself.

She made her way thru the tall glass down to the shore of the lake, kicking a small rock in front of her, sending the pebble rickashaying into the water. She sat down under the large tree her and Han had sat under weeks ago, first discussing their future together. She looked out at the lake, her mind still racing. Her face felt hot. She could no longer contain the tears welling in her eyes as they began to roll down her cheeks. She pulled her knees to her chest and wept into the fabric of her skirt, her breath heaving in between sobs. She hated how Mon treated Han like he was somehow not good enough for either her or the Alliance, despite everything he had done for the both of them. She wanted to scream out in frustration at it all, but only more tears came.

* * *

Han was a loss of where Leia could have gone. He had sprinted thru the halls of the base, checking her office and the mess hall, not quite sure where exactly a wayward Princess would be hiding. He darted back thru the hanger, quickly thinking that she might had gone somewhere off base. He paused for a moment outside, trying to decide which direction he should go in. He decided to head towards the lake, figuring if anything to at least check and see if Leia might have sought solitude there.

Han spotted his wife's familiar figure sitting under the large tree and quickened his pace, a slight relief that he had found Leia but his mind still racing at the fact it had taken so long for him to find her, worried someone at the base had caught on that they had not left yet. They should had been gone over an hour ago, the Falcon still sitting in the hanger, a giant red flag to the fact they were disobeying Alliance orders.

He made his way to her and knelt down next to her, running his hand across the back of her shoulders. Leia's arms were still wrapped around her, her face buried into her dress.

"Leia, sweetheart" he quietly whispered to her.

She picked her head up, her face stained with tears and looked at her husband in silence. Han was unable to read her, her expression blank as she looked at him. He sat down and she leaned against him, his arms encircling her body. He wasn't sure if he should say anything more to her or wait for her to speak. He held her in silence, kissing the top of her head, hoping any gesture from him would reassure her.

"I can't do this anymore" she mumbled into his chest, finally breaking the silence between them.

"Can't do what?" Han's mind raced for a moment, his inner doubts about himself making his thoughts instantly jump to that she made a mistake with their marriage, wondering what could have possibly lead her to think that.

"All of this. The Alliance, the missions, the way Mon doesn't think twice about just sending us off. I'm just a pawn to her and because of that, you get dragged into everything too " she sighed, a stray tear running down her cheek.

"Oh." Han breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't about to lose her, refocusing his attention to the real situation at hand. He needed to get both of them back to the ship. His own feelings about the Alliance and his earlier conversation with Mon boiled within him again. It felt strange to him that he was being the voice of reason between them again, a position usually taken by Leia. He wasn't quite sure how to comprehend everything they were both feeling. He held her tight, hoping he was providing her some kind of reassurance to her. "The Alliance has always been so important to you though" he stated, not sure what sort of reaction his statement would bring from her.

"It was. It was my life. It was all I had. Now I have you and I feel like they are going to tear us apart" she quietly explained. She had used her work as a constant distraction from everything, a way to suppress the pain of the losses in her life, to wage a war for a cause she believed in. She wasn't sure of anything anymore, the war was over and while she would forever be haunted by her past, everything in the galaxy she wanted for her future was sitting next to her right now.

"Half the reason why I stuck around for so long at first was because I knew it meant so much to you" he reminded her gently.

"Yes, but we were at war and you had a bounty on your head. What was the other half of the reason?" she sheepishly asked as she pulled her face from his chest, her dark eyes meeting his.

"You. I wanted you. You know that, I would do anything for you, so I stayed". He kissed her softly. She still was upset, Han could see it in her eyes as he pulled away from the kiss and looked at her again.

"And I love you for that, for everything you've done for me". She paused as she took a deep breath. "I just don't know if I can go back, if either of us should go".

"What are you saying, sweetheart?" Han tried to make sense of everything Leia was saying, her words sounding so unlike the Leia he had always known, always one to defend the Alliance, to tell him how important they were to the good of the galaxy.

"I want to disappear, Han. You know how to not be found. Isn't that what made you a good smuggler?" she pleaded to him. She wished for nothing more at the moment then to vanish into the depths of the Outer Rim, for Han to take her away to the far reaches of the galaxy where no one knew she had any ties to the New Republic, somewhere where no one would question who she was or where she came from, somewhere that no one knew she was a Princess or that Han was a General. She longed for complete anonymity, a normal life without the weight of the galaxy pressing up against her at every moment, a life where no one shuffled her to one place or the next for their own political gains.

Han looked at his wife in disbelief. Even after everything Mon had said to him earlier, he never thought that he would run from anything again in his life, let alone of all people, Leia, suggesting that they should. If he had learned anything over the years, running from problems was no way to solve them, but he felt a small part of his former self creeping in on his thoughts. "You want us to go AWOL? Are you kidding me right now, Leia?" he questioned to her in disbelief.

The first few drops of rain began to splash against them followed by a low rumble of thunder in the distance. Han glanced above them, pitch black clouds now rolling above them, a flash of lightning zig zagging across the sky.

"Sweetheart, come on" He loosened his embrace around her as he stood from the ground and bent to lift his wife up to her feet. He knew they needed to get inside before the storm hit, the conversation they were having could wait for a minute. He took her hand as they began to make their way back towards the base. The rain began to fall steadily as they made their way thru the tall grass, Han's steps quickening as he lead Leia along thru it. Another flash of lightning followed by a loud crackle of thunder rang out in the sky, this one much closer to them then the last, causing Leia to jump and tighten her grip on Han's hand. The rain was now coming down in larger drops and the wind was picking up around them. They both began to sprint, the tall grass giving way to pavement of the street. The fabric of Leia's dress was soaked and sticking to the tops of her legs, her hair becoming wet and heavy in the pinned braids on top of her head. They both quickly ducked into the hanger, watching for a moment as the rain sheeted past them, the sky unleashing the worst of the storm right as they had made it to cover. Leia looked at Han, his hair wet and pressed against his forehead, his shirt clinging to his chest.

"Let's go to the Falcon, get you in some dry clothes" Han instructed to his soaking wet Princess, knowing the conversation the storm interrupted was not one they should finish until they were in the safe confines of the ship.

* * *

Han followed Leia up the ramp and into the lounge to find Chewbacca sitting at the holo chess table, awaiting their return.

[You found her. Everything okay? Looks like you took a bath in the process] the Wookiee growled to Han.

"Everything's fine, Chewie. Can you give us a moment?" Han asked, pulling his soaking wet vest from his body as he spoke.

Chewbacca grunted at him in understanding, figuring whatever needed to be sorted out between Han and the Princess and the storm raging outside, they might not leave for the mission today after all. He rose from the table and made his way to his quarters, knowing it might be awhile if the two had differences to settle.

Leia began pulling pins from her hair, her long chestnut locks tumbling down in wet waves from her braids. She slowly twisted her hair in her fingers, hoping to release some of the water from them as she slid into the bench next to Han.

"I'm sorry" she whispered to her husband.

"For what, my princess?"

"For taking off like that. You shouldn't have had to come looking for me. I heard what Mon said to you earlier" she admitted to him, the way Mon had stated things to him still stinging as she mulled over them.

"She's never liked me, you know that".

"But for her to say all that to you? For her to personally come down to the hanger to say it to your face?

"We'll figure things out, my Princess".

* * *

Han pulled a dry shirt over his head as he entered the cockpit, settling into his captain's chair, feeling slightly better after changing out of his rain soaked clothing. He started the Falcon, the low hum of the engines surrounding him as Chewie made his way into the cockpit and assumed his position in his co-pilot's seat. The ship levitated above the ground for a moment before shooting off from the hanger, breaking thru the heavy cloud cover of Chandrila and into the blackness to space. Han looked out into the distance, a few stars twinkling faintly against the velvet backdrop of nothingness in front of the Falcon's viewscreen. He glanced at his wife behind him from the corner of his eye, wondering if she was still thinking the same thoughts she had expressed to him earlier. He punched the coordinates for Bordel into the navi-computer and settled back into his seat, easing the throttle forward on the control panel as the ship launched into hyperspace. Maybe Leia was right. Maybe they could disappear into nothingness, leaving any trace of their old life behind them...


	15. Chapter 15

Bordal greeted the Falcon with gray and gloomy skies as the ship descended thru the cloud cover and landed on the planet. Leia had gotten used to the warm summer weather of the Core Worlds, the cool, damp air of the outer rim planet causing her to shiver as she walked down the ramp of the Falcon. She pulled a cardigan over her bare arms, hoping to ward off some of the chill as she held the knit fabric close to her around her waist.

The spaceport was nearly empty, save for a few ancient ships docked around the Falcon, rust creeping in on the edges of the metal hulls, as if the ships had not seen space flight in years. For being the capital city of the planet, it was oddly quiet, a stark contrast of the hustle and bustle of any capital Leia had ever visited before. She knew that the planet had been suffering economically after years of war and being part of Imperial held-space, but never would had thought that a place could be so depressing. It made sense to her why the government here desperately jumped at the opportunity to help supply the Alliance, wondering though what goods the planet could provide them.

Han and Leia made their way thru the streets of the city, passing by aging buildings, the architecture of them hinting at that the city was once a prosperous place, now only to stand archaic and desolate in the current age. Chewbacca had stayed back with the Falcon, Han unwilling to leave his ship unattended while on the planet, the Wookiee understanding that leaving a ship empty on an outer rim planet was not a wise idea.

"Spare a credit, miss?" A teen-aged girl sat on a doorway stoop, her voice timid as she looked at Leia. The girl's simple dress was dirty and patched, a frayed sweater pulled close around her as she feebly stretched her hand towards them. Leia paused and shook her head no, wishing she had something on her that could help the girl out. She felt Han's hand leave hers.

Han dug into his pocket and retrieved a credit, handing it to the girl, gently smiling at her before returning his hand to Leia's.

"Why did you do that?" Leia asked her husband as they continued down the street, confounded at his generosity towards the stranger.

"Because I've been there before, sweetheart".

* * *

Han and Leia made their way into the Bordali consulate building, a location in which they had been told in which the First Minister of the planet would be awaiting their arrival. The large lobby was quiet, the tall stone walls stretched high above them, only adding to the bleak expanse of the building. Their footsteps echoed thru the room as they were greeted by a man in a long cape. He looked tired, the troubles of his planet weighing on him apparent in his face. The corners of his eyes were deep with wrinkles, the hair around his temples flecked with gray. He smiled as he bowed slightly towards Leia.

"Princess, thank you for coming. I am Dimodan Jarlork, First Minister of Bordal ".

"My pleasure, Minister Jarlork" she replied politely.

"I wish we had more time to discuss things now, but your late arrival means we will just have to wait until tomorrow, Princess".

"I apologize, Minister. I look forward to our meeting".

"As do I. Please, come along, I will show you and General Solo to your room" Jarlork instructed to the couple, waving his arm towards them, gesturing for them to accompany him.

Han and Leia followed the Minister thru the lobby and to a long winding staircase. The minister took the stairs two at a time, something Leia found strange, as if he was in a rush to get somewhere, but did not question him. They reached a short hallway, a few wooden doors on either side of it and a large window at the end. Leia noticed the window had a large crack in one of the panes of glass, peeling brown tape stretched across it in effort to keep the glass from shattering further. She glanced at Han, wondering if he was noticing the amount of disrepair the governmental building was in. She wondered what state the rest of the planet was in if the main city was like what they had seen so far.

"I'm sorry we cannot offer you better accommodations" Jarlork stated apologetically Leia as he handed her a small golden key.

"Your hospitality is more than enough, Minister" she responded kindly to him. Jarlork bowed quickly to her before turning and making his way back down the stairs, leaving Han and Leia alone in the hall.

Leia looked at the key in the palm of her hand and glanced at the door. She pushed the key into the lock, struggling to turn it. She had become so accustomed to the technology of durasteel doors used on Alliance bases and on most modernized inner rim planets. Usually, a simple swipe of her hand and doors would whoosh open for her, a simple key now seemed antiquated to her.

Han's fingers grazed over hers, grasping the key as she pulled her hand away. He pushed against it, the lock finally clicking and giving way as he turned the handle, opening the wooden door.

The room behind the door was simple, nothing more than a bed covered by a faded quilt and a few pillows propped against the headboard. A well worn table and chairs were tucked into the far corner near another wooden door that Leia figured lead to the refresher. A single window covered by thick curtains let only small peaks of light into the room, Leia's eyesight straining to adjust to the dimness as her hand felt along the wall, finally finding the activation switch for the lights, the room now brightened by the artificial overhead light, flickering and humming as they came to life.

She looked around, everything in the room looked as dull and worn as the rest of the city. She pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, resting her elbow against the table, her fingers running across her forehead.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Han asked as he pulled the other chair at table out and sat across from his wife.

"This all seems strange to me". She wasn't sure what to expect on this mission, but was beginning to feel as though she was already in over her head, a strange feeling settling in her stomach that she couldn't exactly place a reason on why it was there.

"This isn't that bad for the outer rim" Han smirked as he glanced around the room. He had stayed in much worse places in his lifetime, run down rooms tucked away in back alleys that had buzz-bugs that hovered incessantly around the lights, musty places that a smuggler could easily lay low for a day or two while awaiting a contact.

She rested her chin in her palm, sighing as she looked at her husband. "A couple of supply contacts here can't really help this planet out. I need to talk to Mon, there has to be something more we can do".

"You'll figure it out, sweetheart" He assured to her. "I'm going back to the Falcon, get our bags and make sure everything is okay with Chewie for the night". Han had little interest in hearing Mon, even if it was just her voice from thousands parsecs away over a comm, her words still simmering within from his own conversation with the Chancellor.

"Be careful" Leia reminded to him gently, knowing it wasn't far to the Falcon, but she still worried about him going alone even for a short distance on an unfamiliar planet.

"Don't worry, my princess" Han patted his blaster holstered against his thigh before kissing Leia goodbye.

* * *

Leia waited as the comm feed crackled and popped with static, Mon's voice finally breaking thru.

"Princess Leia. I expected to hear from you by now. Is everything alright? Have you reached Bordal? I spoke to the Minister earlier saying that he was still waiting on you, hours after your scheduled arrival time"

"Yes, Mon, we're here now. We had a slight delay, that's all" Leia partly lied, covering for their tardiness as best as she possibly could, trying to advert Mon from placing the blame of their late departure on Han in any way.

"Glad to hear that, Princess. I worry about you sometimes, always insisting on taking General Solo's ship despite its, ah hem, ongoing maintenance issues".

"The Falcon is a perfectly capable ship, Mon. I wanted to speak with you about the situation here on Bordal before I meet with the Minister tomorrow" Leia stated, hoping to quickly change the topic of conversation to actual matters rather than allowing Mon a chance at another jab towards Han.

"I believe we covered everything in our meeting and in the reports I sent you. The Bordali Minister is willing to agree to our terms for supplies, but we need you to convince him that his planet will not be a target in any way. After how the Imperials left the planet, it's no wonder he's worried about them".

"I understand that. I think the people of this planet need our assistance too" Leia remarked.

"That is not our place. We can help them in providing supply lanes and protection from any remaining Imperial threats, but the rest is up to the Bordali government to provide for it's people". Mon's voice was serious, but Leia could tell she was beginning to become annoyed at her suggestion. Leia refused to back down, hoping she could somehow get Mon to understand.

"They are suffering. The whole city is in disrepair, I don't believe that there is much business or industry here, most of the city seems abandoned". Leia thought about the young girl Han had given a credit to earlier, wondering about what her life was like and how many others on the planet were in a similar situation.

"The Alliance will suffer if we do not establish new suppliers for our bases. That is your main objective of this diplomatic mission, Princess. You are not there for humanitarian reasons. Please keep that in mind".

Leia switched off her comm and in a fit of anger, slamming it down against the table as the door opened and Han entered back into the room.

"That woman is an insufferable, selfish bitch! What good is a new government if all they care about is themselves?" Leia shouted out, hardly noticing her husband had returned to the room and overheard her.

"Calm down, sweetheart, what happened?" Han asked while setting down two small travel bags on the floor, knowing whatever had transpired between Leia and Mon while he was gone wasn't good.

Leia explained to Han about her conversation with Mon, her frustrations apparent as she called the Chancellor every name in the galaxy, including a few Corellian ones that Han had no one but himself to blame that they had worked their way into his wife's vocabulary.

Han wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. He could feel her breath steadying, her anger fading slightly as she began to relax into his embrace.

"I'm done, Han. I used to believe that the Alliance wanted to truly make the galaxy a better place, but I don't think that's the case anymore".

"But you can still try" he tried to reassure her that not all hope was lost, not quite sure if his words were actually true or not. The past few days had made him rethink a lot of things about the Alliance himself.

"It would be impossible. As long as Mon is Chancellor, things will be run her way. It's all a game, Han, one giant power play. That's just how politics are. I just want to be done with it all, my whole life has been spent playing this stupid game".

"We can't just run from the Alliance".

"Why not? What's stopping us?" she asked him, picking her head up from his chest and looking into his hazel eyes. They were already on the outer rim, a simple jump back into space and they could be gone forever, it all seemed so simple to her at the moment.

Han looked back at Leia, wondering why she was so determined to run. He had spent so much of his life running from things, now the only person he had ever stopped for was pushing for him to pick up and run again. He could tell her frustrations and anger were getting the best of her, her normally organized and rational thoughts now jumbled and confused. He hated what the Alliance and Mon were doing to them just as much she did, but couldn't bring himself to agreement with her current logic.

"You've never been in shit with the military before. It's not a place I'd recommend for you or one I'd like to return to" Han replied, his own memories of being removed from the Imperial Navy flooding back to him. He had learned from his own past experiences that little good came of disobeying orders, even if saving Chewbacca's life was the right thing to do. They eventually would be found, the repercussions of abandonment would catch up to them. "If you want to leave the Alliance, I support you, but you need to leave in the right way".

Leia took a deep breath, realizing that Han was right. She had heard stories around bases over the years about personnel who had tried to disappear without a proper discharge. She knew the Alliance rules and regulations for the action, how a galactic-wide warrant was placed upon desertion and if caught, one would serve lengthy time in a detention center. The risk of that wasn't worth it, that was not a life she wished for her or Han.

"I'm sorry" she whispered to him, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him. She felt bad for pushing him on the issue, thankful she had Han to keep her grounded in her moments of frustration.

"Are you tired?" Han asked, the evening hardly late but the city offered them little to do outside of their room, leaving them to bide time until the morning.

"Not really, no".

"Well, we've got to pass the time somehow. I've got a few ideas" he grinned suggestively at her, even if he already knew her answer would most likely be no.

"I'm sure you do, hot shot" she smiled back at him, hardly in the mood to act on his suggestions. While she wasn't tired, she was emotionally drained from the day. She sat down at the table, Han following and taking a seat across from her.

"Want to play a round of sabbac?" Han suggested, hoping that some kind of distraction would cheer Leia up. He turned to his bag, unzipping a side pocket and began digging around in the jumbled mess of the bag's contents.

"You always bring a deck of sabacc cards with you on missions?"

"Nah. They've been in here forever, just never remembered to take them out". He pulled out the deck, shuffling the cards thru his hands before dealing them out between them. "You remember how to play?"

Leia reached for her set of cards, picking them up and fanning them out in her hands, welcoming the distraction from thinking more about everything that had transpired over the past few days. "I remember most of the rules, it'll come back to me as we play".

She studied her cards, slowly adding the values of them in her head. She looked across the table at Han, his focus now on his own cards, a devilish smile on his face. She knew that look her husband had on his face and smiled at him. "No cheating, you scoundrel".

* * *

Han had won the last three rounds of the game, much to Leia's frustration. She now understood why Luke would often leave the Falcon after games against Han annoyed and intoxicated. Han was good at the game, too good, she thought to herself, determined to figure out his secret to it. She watched his every move, trying to catch him sneaking a card or whatever other tricks he might pull to win. She had noticed nothing out of the ordinary. He seemed to be playing a legitimate game against her. She studied her current hand of cards, the numbers on them adding up perfectly in her head. She smiled softly, hardly believing she might actually be able to finally beat Han at his own game. She laid her cards out on the table, grinning at him as he looked down at them.

"Damn, Leia. Pure Sabacc" he exclaimed, folding his own cards, accepting his defeat to her.

"Guess I've got some luck after all" she laughed.

"You are a Solo now". He leaned forward across the table and kissed her, a little proud that his wife had beaten him.

* * *

Leia had been unable to get much sleep during the night, passing the hours until morning laying in the dark staring at the ceiling listening to Han's quiet snores beside her. She still couldn't shake the nervousness she had been feeling as she readied herself for the meeting with the Minister, reminding herself that this was nothing more than a diplomatic meeting, something she had done a hundred times before. Han had noticed her unusual demeanor, asking her gently a few times if everything was alright, never having seen his wife so unsettled before a meeting before.

Leia remained quiet as her and Han made their way from their room, crossing thru the lobby of the building and began their way down a long, empty hallway. Leia paused for a moment, a feeling of uneasiness coming over her, stronger than any she had ever felt before. Something in her mind told her to turn around, to get away as fast as they could. Before she could even act on her thoughts, she felt arms around her, restraining her as she screamed out for her husband. Han was already reaching for his blaster as another man stepped close to him, his own weapon already drawn and pointed directly at him.

"Don't even think about it. Hands up!" the man ordered at Han. Han felt his stomach drop as he raised his arms above him, knowing all he could do in the moment was to obey, the man's fully charged weapon pointing directly at him from only inches away.

Leia struggled against the man's grasp on her, his strength overpowering her as she fought to move at all.

"Don't scream, Princess. No one is going to hear you anyways" the man hissed into her ear as he began to drag her down the remainder of the hallway into a small room.

* * *

"Hand over your weapon" the man instructed to Han, the muzzle of the man's blaster digging into him as his hands lowered to the buckle of his blaster belt, undoing it from his waist and dropping it against the table top.

"Check the Princess, make sure she isn't hiding anything on her" the man instructed to the other. Leia felt the man's grip on her release for a moment before he slammed her against the wall, the breath knocking out of her chest at the force of her back hitting against the stone. The man patted his hands against the sides of her legs, checking for any concealed weapons lurking under her skirt. She felt disgusted at his touch, her legs breaking free for a moment, kicking in the man's direction. His grip on her was too strong, his fingers digging into her arms as he pulled her from the wall, locking her arms behind her. "She's clean" the man stated.

"Good. Bring her over here".

The man pushed Leia towards the table, forcing her into a chair. She felt cold metal snap around her wrists, the man fastening restraints onto her. She pulled against them, trying to wiggle her way from them, her arms straining against the chair. She felt the man step closer to her, the cold metal of a blaster pressing sharply into her shoulder blade. "Stop fighting, Princess". She looked towards Han helplessly, the other man still pressing his own weapon against him.

"Take a seat" the man sneered to Han. He obliged and sat, not sure what the two men were capable of. The man made his way around the table, his weapon still pointed at Han as he moved, his gaze never breaking from him.

"What luck you have, common freighter scum like you somehow ending up a General with a Princess" the man hissed at Han.

"Hey, now" Han warned to the man. He felt anger surging inside of him, wishing he had gotten to his own blaster in the hall sooner, knowing the only weapon they now had against the men were their words. He knew he had to try and talk his way out of the situation if they were to get out of here in one piece. "What do you want from us?"

"The First Minister will not stand for this" Leia interrupted, her voice threatening and low.

"I was expecting this, Princess" Jarlork's voice echoed thru the room as he stepped forward from the doorway. "Well done, gentleman" he nodded towards the two men.

Leia was shocked, her eyes piercing as Jarlork stepped in front her. He looked down at her with a menacing glare.

"What do you want from us?" She hissed at him as she repeated Han's question.

"Isn't that obvious? Look around. You've seen what life on our planet is like".

Leia stared at Jarlork for a moment, processing his words, trying to figure out exactly he was trying to get out of them.

"You were in agreement that your planet supplying the Alliance would help you greatly" she stated.

"We don't have anything to provide to your stupid little Alliance. What have they done for us anyways? Years of being held under Imperial control and the Alliance never cared. All your government cares about is the core worlds" Jarlork snapped at her.

"That's not true" Leia shot back at him.

"I believe your Chancellor's actions say otherwise. You get her to give us 500,000 credits and we will let you go. I'm sure the Chancellor wouldn't want to hear that her little Princess and her husband ended up dead on some outer rim planet".

"Like hells we will give into your demands" Han shouted out, causing Jarlork to turn from Leia and step towards him.

"No one asked your opinion you piece of Alliance shit" Jarlork snarled to Han. The man guarding Han raised his blaster, striking Han across the jaw with the end of the handle, the metal cracking into his bone. Han's vision went black for a moment, pain surging thru his face. He blinked slowly, the Minister coming back into focus.

"Fuck you" Han growled at him, his hands forming tight fists at his sides. He was not about to let anything happen to Leia, his body tense with anger. He was determined to find a way to escape before they could lay a hand on her.

"You leave these negotiations between the Princess and I" Jarlork warned to him, locking eyes with Han before turning back in Leia's direction.

Leia struggled against the restraints, her shoulders straining as she tried to move in any direction that might loosen them.

"Stop fighting, Princess. There's no way you are getting out of them without meeting my demands" Jarlork cautioned to her, his eyes dark with anger as he watched her movement stop as she leaned back in the chair.

The man who had been guarding Han turned away, his focus now on Leia, thinking she might begin to fight again, ready to crack her in the jaw the same way he had just done to Han.

Han seized the second of opportunity of the man leaving him unattended, lunging from his chair, grabbing his blaster from the table, his fingers ripping it from the holster as he spun around. He quickly fired off a shot, hitting one man in the back, his body falling to the ground in a lifeless heap. Jarlork and the other man spun around from Leia at the sound of the blast, their attention snapping back to Han.

"Kill him!" Jarlork screamed towards his accomplice.

Han pulled the trigger of his own blaster before the man had a chance to even raise his own weapon towards him, his body slumping to the ground. Jarlork now stood unarmed, glaring at Han. Han's focus was solely on the minister, unflinching as he stepped closer to him.

"Release her" Han ordered to Jarlork as he pressed the muzzle of his blaster into the Minister's chest.

Jarlork obeyed, bending down behind the chair and undoing Leia's restraints. She rose from the chair and picked up one of the fallen guard's blasters. She dug it into Jarlork's back, pressing the weapon into the curve of his spine.

Jarlork accepted that he was overpowered, surrounded on either side by two charged weapons, unable to escape. Leia's finger trembled over the blaster's trigger, anger pulsing thru her veins. She wanted to pull it, release a shot directly into the minister's back, leave him on the floor like his two goons.

"I would rethink what you are doing" Jarlork tried to warn to them, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"You will not get away…." Leia began.

Han interrupted her, blasting the minister before she had a chance to finish, his body dropping to their feet. Han grabbed Leia's arm, pulling her towards the doorway, his grasp tight around her.

They ran down the hall and from the building, their pace continuing as they wove their way thru the city streets, the Falcon now in view. They sprinted up the ramp, Han calling out to Chewbacca.

"Chewie!" The Wookiee growled at Han, surprised to see Han's swollen face and Leia struggling to catch her breath behind him.

[What's going on?] Chewbacca woofed.

"No time to explain. We've got to go". Han released Leia as he rushed towards the cockpit, Chewie following him.

Leia sat at the holo chess table, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to steady herself. She felt the Falcon lift from the ground, thankful that they were leaving Bordal behind them. She rubbed her wrists, the skin raw and bruised from the restraints they had used on her, her arms aching dully from having been pulled so tightly against the hard wooden chair. She felt the ship lurch, jumping them into hyperspace. She looked down at her lap, trying to process everything that had just happened to them.

Han walked into the lounge and sat down next to her.

"You okay?" He asked as she picked her head up, her focus now on him.

"Yes. Are you?" She reached out and touched the side of his jaw, now puffy and swollen. The bruise developing looked deeper and darker than the one he had acquired in the crash on the supply run. She began to stand, wanting to get the med-kit to attend to his injury, worried that the blunt force the man had hit Han with had caused serious damage to him. Han wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, keeping her from going anywhere.

"Han, you're hurt" she protested.

"Just stay with me for a minute, my princess".

She obliged, easing back into the seat and into his embrace. She could tell he needed her right now, they needed each other.

"I love you". He kissed the top of her hair, never wanting to let her go. He was shaken by what had transpired on Bordal, the fact that yet again Leia had been endangered, that another mission in supposed post war peace had turned into them having to escape from danger once again.

"I love you too" she whispered back to him, the Falcon whining faintly as it continued the jump thru hyperspace, speeding thru the stars towards Chandrila. Leia felt safe within Han's arms, but she soon began to feel a sense of worry stirring inside of her about what would happen once they returned to base. Something was going to have to give.


	16. Chapter 16

Leia's stomach was in knots as the Falcon descended into the Alliance hanger on Chandrila. A heavy sense of dread washed over her as the ship touched down, resting gently onto tarmac with a slight thud, the engines slowing to dull whine around her. She was unsure of what faced her and Han once they stepped off the ship. Her head was already pounding at the thought of the amount of time she would need to compile a complete report of the events that had taken place on Bordal, let alone sorting out decisions about the future her and Han needed to figure out between themselves. She had other pressing issues weighing on her mind at the moment, glancing at Han as he began powering down the ship.

Despite his initial protests, Han had finally let Leia tend to his injured jaw, smoothing a layer of bacta and allowing her to rest an ice pack over it during their second hyperspace jump. The swelling did not subside any over the course of their return trip, despite a few more applications of salve and ice that were all met with a stubbornness that only a Corellian could possess. Leia and Chewbacca both began to worry as they approached the Core Worlds at the little apparent healing to the injury, fearing it might be something more serious.

Chewbacca reached towards the control panel, shutting the Falcon completely down as he growled towards Han.

[You going to let me take you to the med bay?]

"Not now, Chewie. I'm fine" Han replied. He had other things he wanted to do, not wishing to spend his afternoon surrounded by med-droids hovering over him, poking and prodding at him with long strings of never ending questions. His jaw did hurt, he wasn't going to deny that, but he figured a few days more and it would be fine, nothing a few shots of Corellian whiskey and a good night's rest couldn't fix.

The Wookiee looked at Han and grunted lowly, his large furry hand reaching out and grabbing onto Han's shoulder as he shot him a disapproving scowl. Leia didn't understand the Wookiee's growls, but they sounded almost threatening, as if Chewie was telling Han if he didn't get his jaw checked out, he would need other parts of him repaired too.

"Alright, alright. We'll go" Han reluctantly agreed, hardly trying to hide his annoyance at the Wookiee's persistence.

Leia followed a few steps behind Han and Chewie as they made their way thru the ship, surprised to hear General Rieekan's voice echoing towards them as they approached the ramp.

"Gods, what in the hells happened to you? Where is the Princess?" Rieekan asked Han as he stepped onto hangar's concrete floor.

Leia quickened her pace for a moment to catch up to them, her steps light and quick as she made her way down the rest of the ramp. She could tell by the tone in Rieekan's voice that he was not expecting to be greeted by a battered General and a lack of a Princess beside him upon their return, a look of relief coming across Rieekan's face as Leia stepped into his sight.

"I hope you taking him towards the med bay" Rieekan insisted towards the Wookiee.

[Of course] Chewbacca woofed back towards Rieekan.

"He is" Han translated Chewbacca's growls to the General, slightly annoyed that everyone was so concerned about him.

"Princess, I don't want to keep you, if you'd like to go along with them" Rieekan directed to Leia.

Leia looked towards Han, leaving the decision up to him if he wanted her company with him or not.

"It's okay. You can come find me in a bit" Han assured to her, hoping his trip to the med bay would be a quick one.

Knowing that Chewbacca could handle getting Han taken care of, Leia nodded in agreement to her husband. She hesitated kissing him, not sure if she was going to hurt him or not. Gently, she lightly pressed her lips against his, hoping her touch was gentle enough not to cause him any pain, relieved that he did not wince at her gesture.

"I love you" she whispered to him, hardly caring that Rieekan was waiting patiently for her a few steps away or that the hangar was busy with activity around them.

"Love you too" Han replied as a furry Wookiee arm wrapped around him already turning him away from her as he spoke. "Alright, you fuzzball, we're going".

"You okay?" Rieekan asked Leia, worry growing inside of him about what exactly had transpired on the the mission. He had noticed Leia's wrists were scuffed and raw when she had gone to kiss Han goodbye.

"I'm fine, General, thank you" she lied. She felt off, unsure of what Rieekan could want to discuss with her so quickly upon their return along with worry about what news might come from Han's injury. Part of her wished she would have go along to the med bay with him. _Chewie's taken care of him for longer than you've even known him_ she reminded herself, hoping to ease her nerves some.

* * *

Leia sat across from General Rieekan in his office, a large mug of hot caf sitting in front of both of them on his desk. Leia took a long sip, the warm caffeinated liquid doing little to settle her stomach.

Rieekan looked towards her gently as he wrapped his fingers around his own mug, tapping them against the side of the warm ceramic, a nervous habit of his. He knew Leia better than anyone else did, other than Han and Luke. He knew when something was bothering her. It was rare to see the normally stubborn and outspoken Princess he was accustomed to being so withdrawn. He hoped now that they were behind closed doors, she would feel comfortable enough tell him what exactly was weighing on her mind.

"What happened while you were on Bordal?" he questioned to her, no longer avoiding the subject he wanted answers about.

Leia studied Rieekan, his gentle expression hardly masking his inner concern for her as he waited for her reply. She trusted him deeply, for he was one of the few people that would ever truly understand the pain she had gone thru with the loss of Alderaan, because it was his own pain too. She knew Rieekan knew her too well for her to withhold the answers he sought from him any longer. She grasped her mug in her in fingers tightly, watching the steam curl from the hot liquid into the air in front of her.

"We were heading to the meeting and got accosted in a hallway by two men" she began to explain. She felt her stomach churn, not sure if it was from the strong caf or from the ever looming sense of uncertainty that had seemed to follow her since they had departed Bordal. She felt like she was going to throw up. She set her mug down on the desk, her fingers leaving the warmth of it behind as she raised her hand to her lips, exhaling slowly as she pressed her fingers against her mouth, trying to push back the feeling.

Rieekan could tell she was troubled, her words so far already alerting to him her uneasiness at recounting the situation. "Princess, this is just between you and I, off the record for now. You can tell me what happened" he assured to her.

"It was all planned by the First Minister. He demanded money from the Alliance. I refused and one of the men struck Han with the end of a blaster. That's how he ended up hurt".

"And your wrists?" Rieekan questioned, almost not wanting to know the answer after hearing Leia speak of how Han's jaw ended up injured.

"They restrained me".

Rieekan took a deep breath, trying not to think of all the pain Leia had already been thru in her life, this mission just another incident in her life that would be added to the list of things that haunted her.

"What happened to the Minister?" Rieekan asked as looked at Leia, his focus solely on her, beginning to piece together the motivation behind the attack on them, the only remaining bit of the puzzle that remained unsolved to him.

Leia dropped her gaze from him, studying her lap for a moment. Her fingers absent mindedly found a loose thread in her skirt, pulling at it slowly before looking back towards Rieekan.

"Han killed him" she bluntly stated.

Rieekan sat back in his chair. He did not expect her answer to be that. Rieekan didn't blame Han for killing the Minister in order to save himself and Leia, but worried about the repercussions that could potentially follow them. It was different now, the Alliance now in a state of rebuilding and repairing relations rather than at war. While a body count of Imperials could be affixed to almost anyone in the Alliance, Han had killed a government official in a supposed time of peace, a situation Rieekan had never been faced with before.

"Mon Mothma does not know of General Solo's injuries yet, but she had already requested of me to the fact she would like to have a mission debriefing with you as soon as you returned. I was actually waiting on the Falcon's returned to tell you just that" Rieekan explained, his mind still mulling over what had occurred on the mission.

"I understand".

"I can delay Mon if you'd like to go to the med bay first and see how General Solo is doing" Rieekan suggested, sensing that Leia was in no mood to meet with Mon yet.

Leia nodded in agreement, grateful that Rieekan was allowing her a chance to check on Han. "Thank you, General".

* * *

Leia's head pounded as she walked thru the base corridors down to the med bay. She wasn't sure what exactly to think, feeling as though Han's actions were completely correct. He had saved them from the situation and their lives by his quick actions. She understood from a diplomatic standpoint where the Alliance could possibly stand on the matter though. It was not good for the Alliance's appearances, especially in time when they were trying to build a new Republic, that a General would blast a First Minister, life in danger or not. She knew that if word got out, any holo publication that picked up the story and did not support the Alliance could easily twist the situation into a story that made Han look like the bad guy, casting the New Republic in a negative light. This was not warfare anymore, this was politics, and Leia knew better than most that it was not a fair game.

The med bay was relatively quiet as Leia checked in with a droid who pointed her in the direction she needed to go in to find Han. She pulled back a thick sheet of fabric that hung around a curtained off area to find her husband in a medical bed, his body propped up with a stack of pillows underneath his back. Chewie hunched in a chair near him that was entirely too small to be supporting a Wookiee, letting out a warm growl as she entered the room.

"Hi, sweetheart" Han smiled at her as she stepped towards the bed and took a seat on the edge of the hard mattress.

His jaw was already looking a little better, whatever medical attention he had received so far had subsided some of the swelling although the deep bruise still a swirl of dark purples and blues against his skin.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she ran her hand against the top of his.

"Sore, but better" finally admitting to the discomfort he felt from his injury. A medical droid interrupted their conversation as it made it's way into the room. Leia stood from the bed, allowing for the droid to move past her to attend to Han.

The droid placed another layer of bacta on Han's face and injected his arm with a small syringe full of medicine for the pain and swelling. After one last final check over of him, the droid turned towards Leia.

"Will you be accompanying General Solo upon his discharge?" the droid asked her in a metallic voice.

"Yes. I am his wife" she replied, noting her relationship to allow the droid to disclose his condition to her.

"General Solo has a mild fracture to his lower mandible. Our scans show that the break is a small one that should heal on it's own. Please see to it that he takes two of these a day beginning tomorrow morning. What we have given him here for the pain should last him thru the night" the droid explained to Leia as it passed a small bottle of medication to her, along with a tube of bacta. She held onto the items in her hand as the droid began instructing her again. "The General will need to remain on a liquid and soft food diet for the next 72 standard hours, to keep the pressure from chewing from aggravating the fracture further".

Han groaned in displeasure at the news, even more so at the fact both Leia and Chewbacca had heard the medical droid's instructions, knowing that any chance of sneaking real, chewable food for the next 3 days was going to be impossible with both of them around monitoring his every move.

"If you notice he is having any trouble breathing, additional swelling or sunken eyes, please rush him back here as soon as you can" the droid added as it turned and picked up a data pad that was near the bed, entering in final notes on Han's condition into the General's medical file, tapping the screen quickly before returning the pad to it's hold. "You are free to leave whenever you feel you are ready".

The med droid had barely cleared the curtain and Han already had sat up in the bed, pulling at the plastic identification bracelet around his wrist, clearly ready to get out of the med bay.

[Slow down] Chewie growled to Han as the Wookiee stood from the chair, his concern apparent that Han would somehow hurt himself further by trying to run out of the room as fast as possible, the round of painkillers administered to him already kicking in.

"I just want to out of here and get back to the Falcon, okay pal?" Han assured, his head suddenly feeling heavier than he remembered it being while he was laying down.

"Don't be difficult. He's just trying to help" Leia cood to her husband, knowing Han's disdain for medical treatments and droids just as well as the Wookiee did.

* * *

Chewbacca and Leia accompanied Han back to the Falcon, the Wookiee's supportive arm around Han as he gently guided him up the ramp and helping him slide into the bench at the holo chess table. Leia sat next to her husband as Chewie disappeared into the galley to fetch him a glass of water.

Han was clearly loopy, the strength of the painkillers were now hitting him like an asteroid. He was fighting consciousness, his eyes heavy as he tried to fight against the feeling. He felt as though his body was floating away from him, unable to sit upright any longer as a wave of exhaustion came over him, causing him to lean against Leia, his body pushing against hers. She placed an arm around him in an attempt to keep him upright, but he was too heavy for her.

"Han?" She asked, holding onto his shoulders tightly in effort to keep him from falling face first into the table top "Come on, we've got to get you to bed".

He mumbled something incoherent under his breath as Leia realized had completely dozed off on her, the painkillers now in full effect.

"Chewie!" She called out for the Wookiee, his soft footsteps padding back into the lounge to find the tiny Princess almost enveloped by a sleeping Han. The Wookiee picked Han up in a single scoop, freeing Leia from his weight. Chewbacca held Han like a sleeping child in his arms. The Corellians' long legs dangled from the crook of the Wookiee's elbow, his face buried into his furry chest.

Leia couldn't help but smile at the sight of her husband. Whatever painkillers they had given him in the med bay clearly were strong enough to knock out a bantha, but it was exactly what he needed to rest and to start recovering. She followed Chewie to their bunk as the Wookiee set Han into bed. She thanked Chewie, her appreciation met with a low growl as he left them alone. Leia reached down to his feet and removed his boots, struggling for a moment as she tugged his feet free from them. She pulled an extra blanket from a drawer before laying down next to him, covering both of them with the woven fabric as she nestled herself against Han's shoulder. Her own eyes felt heavy, the past few days catching up with her. She began to drift off into sleep, her mind freeing itself from any worries temporarily.

* * *

Han woke the next day, confused for a moment how he had somehow gotten to their bunk, the last of his memories from the day before lost in a fuzzy haze. He blinked a few times, still trying to adjust to his surroundings when he heard the familiar voice of his wife come from beside him.

"Morning" Leia whispered.

"Morning, sweetheart". He rubbed his hand across his forehead, pushing his hair back from his face. "How'd I get back here?"

"Chewie carried you. You fell asleep on me at the holo chess table after we brought you back from the med bay" she explained to him.

"Oh gods". Han moaned, realizing the strength of the painkillers must have knocked him out. "Did I say anything stupid?"

"You don't need sedatives to do that" she jokingly replied to him, causing the edges of his mouth to curl into a smile.

Han groaned, a dull ache pulsing still thru his jaw. He lifted his arm from the blanket, allowing Leia to lift her head for a moment before laying back down and resting it against his chest, his protective embrace around her. She hardly cared that he was still wearing the same shirt from the day before, the smell of dust and sweat lingering in the fabric. Han was finding the comfort of the pillows and his wife in his arms too alluring to resist as he fought to stay awake. Leia rolled towards him, her body fitting against his as she rested her hand against his chest, finding it difficult to stay awake herself. The only concern she had at the moment was to make sure her husband recovered. _The conversation between us and the Alliance could wait_ she thought to herself as she began to doze off again.

* * *

By the third day after their return, Han's injury was healing well, the swelling almost gone and the bruising beginning to fade to lighter shades of purple. Leia knew Han was much like herself in the fact neither of them enjoyed to just sit idly. Han was always tinkering at something, finding some part of his ship to work on in moments of boredom. Three days of being confined to resting and only liquids to consume had left him in a less than better mood. She had tried to remain sympathetic, remembering her own restlessness when she was recovering from her injury she received on the mission to Bakura, but her patience was beginning to wear thin.

Leia palmed open the door to the bunk carrying a small bowl of porridge and a glass of muji fruit juice, hoping her husband would be in better spirits this morning.

"I can't take anymore of that" he grumbled as he gave the meal a disapproving look that could have split a tauntaun open.

Leia set the bowl and glass down on the small bedside table with a sigh and looked over at Han. "One more day of this and then you can try something else". If he wasn't still recovering, she would have told him to stop acting like a whiny child, but bit her tongue as she sat down on the edge of their bed.

He groaned as he reached for the bowl, taking a spoonful of the porridge, grimacing as he swallowed the bland mush.

"I can't be that bad of a cook" she quipped at his reaction, trying to lift his mood a little.

He softly smiled, knowing his wife was only looking out for his well-being and he wasn't making it too easy on her. He did feel better, much in part to her caring for him. "You're not. Thanks, sweetheart".

Leia's comm buzzed against the table, interrupting their conversation. She reached for it, her stomach knotting suddenly as she answered it, already knowing who was contacting her before the radio static even cleared.

"Princess. How is General Solo feeling?" Mon asked, her voice clear and authoritative.

"He's doing better, thank you" Leia replied as she stood from the bed.

"I need to speak to you and General Solo about Bordal as soon as possible. I understand that General Solo needed to recover, but we have delayed this meeting too long".

Leia felt her stomach drop at Mon's words, knowing they no longer could avoid the conversation with the Chancellor.

She quickly hit the mute button on the comm and looked at Han. "Are you up for this?" she asked to him. "We can't avoid this forever, but if you don't feel well, I can probably stall her another day".

"I feel fine. We mind as well get it over it with" he begrudgingly replied as he set his spoon back into the bowl before placing it back onto the table. While he could hardly bare another day in bed, going to meet with Mon was not what he wished to do either. Leia was right, they couldn't avoid her forever. He pulled the blankets from himself and made his way to the refresher as Leia switched her comm back to the conversation, hardly caring what else the Chancellor had to say.

* * *

Han took hold of Leia's hand, slowing her steps down before they reached the doorway to Mon's office. He grasped her other hand as she stopped and turned towards him.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he asked. He could feel her fingers trembling in his as she looked up at him with his dark eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm just nervous. I don't know why. I've had this feeling I haven't been able to shake since we've left Bordal".

Han let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you. Whatever happens, I'm always going to love you, okay?" he assured to her.

Leia felt as though she wanted to cry, but remained composed as she stood in her husband's strong embrace. "I love you too". She felt him kiss her gently on top of her hair, a gesture that helped calm her fears some as his arms let go of her. She felt his fingers slip thru hers again, taking her hand as they turned towards Mon's office, whatever would transpire next awaiting them on the other side of the durasteel door.

"Princess, General Solo" Mon stated to them as they stepped into her office, noticing that Mon did not greet her with her usual smile. Leia let go of Han's hand, trying to maintain a certain level of professionalism in front of the Chancellor. She missed his calming touch almost immediately, her nervousness creeping back quickly as they sat before Mon's large white marble desk. Leia's palms were now sweaty, not sure what exactly Mon would say to them next.

"I'm disappointed that we have to meet to discuss another _entanglement_ that occurred while you and General Solo were on a mission" Mon stated to Leia, wasting no time cutting directly to the issue they had been called to discuss. "Quite the track record you two are settling lately". Her words had a certain bite to them that made Leia shift uncomfortably in her seat as she crossed her legs.

"Neither Bakura or Bordal were situations we planned on winding up in. Both were supposed to be peaceful missions" Leia replied, trying her hardest to stay calm while speaking.

"I understand certain things were out of your control, Princess. The pressing matter here is what transpired between you two and the First Minister".

"Would you rather he killed us?" Han interjected, his own discomfort in the situation barely masked in his voice. He could feel his stomach rumble, only making him more irritable.

"Of course not, General. I do not blame you for the actions taken against him given the situation you were in. I am more concerned about the possible repercussions that the New Republic may face because them" Mon replied to Han.

"What exactly are you saying?" Leia questioned.

"I believe that it would be best if General Solo was reassigned to no longer accompany you on any further diplomatic missions" Mon expressed.

Leia could sense Han's annoyance at Mon's statement from next to her, hoping he would stay quiet and not say something out of frustration that he might regret. She suddenly felt that meeting with Mon today was not a good idea, that they should have waited until another time or at least until Han had a proper meal first. Leia could feel her blood boiling inside of herself but tried to remain as diplomatic as possible, using every ounce of her training in the matter to calmly defend herself, hoping somehow she could sway Mon's thoughts on the matter. "General Solo saved my life on Bordal. If he was not there, I don't know how the situation would have ended".

"I feel that it would be the best for appearances. The New Republic will not be able to establish key diplomatic relations in the galaxy we need right now if any leaders are fearful of us in any way. We need as many planets on our side as we can manage to negotiate with in order for this new government to work" Mon explained.

"I would not feel safe going on missions without General Solo" she retorted. She refused for Mon to win, her stubbornness taking hold.

"We will provide you with a security team. You will be well protected" Mon explained.

"Absolutely not" Han remarked. "I will not have my wife flying all over the galaxy with some half assed security looking out for her".

"General, it would be best if you allowed your wife to do her job and you do yours" Mon snapped. "After what happened on Bordal, you are very lucky that you are not facing serious charges right now". Mon shot Han a piercing look before directing her attention back to Leia. "Now, Princess, I can assure you that any further missions you will be well protected. Can you agree to these conditions I have presented to you?"

A word Leia had rarely ever used towards the Chancellor fell from her lips without a second thought. "No" Leia firmly stated, unwilling to agree to any mission without Han by her side, no matter what promises Mon was attempting to make to her.

"Princess, please do not let your personal life interfere with your job of aiding in rebuilding the galaxy" Mon warned to her.

"This is not about my personal life. This is about the fact that General Solo has protected me since the first day I met him, saving my life more times then I can even count. He's risked his life for the Alliance for years with little thanks from you. If it wasn't for General Solo's contributions to this cause, the Empire would still be out there. I can no longer agree to be part of this if that is how the New Republic is going to treat people who fought so hard to bring us to the position the galaxy is in today".

Mon pursed her lips for a moment as she looked at Leia. "Do not make any rash decisions, Princess".

Leia felt Han's hand reach for hers, appearances be damned. He squeezed her hand in silence as he held onto it in the space between their chairs, her fingers slipping between hers. She knew what she need to say, baffled that this decision was one she was making after years of the Alliance meaning everything to her.

"I resign. I no longer agree with the direction that this government is heading in or with how you are rebuilding the New Republic" she stated, hardly caring about Mon's warning to her of her personal feelings about the situation. Leia knew in her heart that it was the right thing to do, she could no longer work towards a cause she did not believe in. The heavy knot in her stomach released as she spoke the words, a relief washing over her.

Mon looked towards Han, surprised he had remained so quiet since his initial interjections.

"I resign also" he affirmed, hardly missing a beat. Leia looked at her husband in a stunned silence. A slight nod from him told her everything was okay, that this was the best for the both of them. He refused to sit idly by as the Chancellor used his wife as her own personal diplomatic pawn all over the galaxy for her own gains.

"I'm sorry to hear that from the both of you, but if that is what you believe is best for you, I accept your resignations" Mon sat back in her chair, knowing that there was nothing more she could do to persuade them to stay on with New Republic. "I wish you both the best".

"Thank you, Chancellor. I wish the New Republic the best as well" Leia graciously replied, truth in her words as she rose from her chair. She really did hope that the New Republic would establish the peace she had so longed dreamed and fought so hard for in the galaxy.

* * *

Leia finally felt as though she could breathe again as her and Han stepped into the hallway outside of Mon's office, the door shutting behind them with a smooth whooshing noise.

"I wonder what my father would say about all this" Leia pondered as she looked towards Han. Her mind still was trying to wrap itself around that fact that for the first time in a very long time, she was not part of the Alliance, or any government for that matter.

"I think he would be proud of you no matter what you did" Han reminded her. "We did what was best for the both of us".

"I agree" she smiled, the weight of the galaxy's problems slowly lifting from her shoulders. A new freedom surrounded her, a feeling she had never felt before. "There's just one person I want to see before we leave though" she requested.

Han took Leia's hand as they made their way down the long hallway towards General Rieekan's office.

* * *

"Princess, General, I was not expecting to see you" Rieekan looked up from his desk as the couple stepped into his office.

"It's just Captain Solo now" Han said with a roguish grin.

Rieekan looked confused for a moment at Han's comment, setting his data pad down and rising from behind his desk, coming around from behind it to stand near them.

"We resigned. We wanted to say goodbye before we left" Leia explained to Rieekan as he looked at the couple with a puzzled expression.

Rieekan's face crossed with sadness, but he was not surprised at the outcome of their meeting with Mon.

"You'll always be General in my mind. You're a good man, Solo. I hate to see you go". Rieekan extended his hand to Han, the two men exchanging a firm handshake with one another.

"And you'll always be a Princess". Rieekan pulled Leia into his arms, hugging her tightly, a gesture he had always refrained from due to Alliance appearances and rankings. He no longer cared, his was behind closed doors and he would miss her dearly.

Leia held back tears as Rieekan let her go from his embrace. "I wish you both the best. I know this is the right thing for you to do".

"Thank you, General" Leia managed to choke out as she wiped away a tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye.

Rieekan watched Han wrap his arm around Leia as they turned and left his office and knew that this was not the last he would see of them. He smiled to himself as he made his way back around his desk to return to his work. He knew Leia was strong and with Han by her side, the two of them could face anything the galaxy threw at them together.

* * *

"Where do you want to go?" Han asked as he slid into his Captain's chair aboard the Falcon, the whole galaxy suddenly a possibility to them, a feeling that Han had not felt in a long time and one he was sure his wife had never experienced before.

"Home" she replied as she leaned her elbows casually against the back of her husband's chair, the Falcon's engines already rumbling beneath them.

Han shifted slightly in his seat to turn face his wife as he looked at her blankly for a moment, trying to process exactly what she meant by the word _home_. Neither of them had any place in the galaxy they considered their own, outside from the Falcon in which they sat in now.

Leia smiled as she kissed her husband's cheek before reaching over him to the navi-computer. Han watched as she effortlessly punched in a sequence of coordinates. The familiar numbers appeared before him on the screen.

Despite all the coordinates of the galaxy he had traveled to over the years, the ones that lay before him now were ones that he had daydreamed about for so long, ones he had longed to return to with Leia by his side, no Empire to run from, no bounty on his head, a peace around them now was for so many years was almost unfathomable. He realized that for the first time his dreams were no longer dreams, but a reality. He knew how happy she was there when they were married, how she seemed so carefree and relaxed, even if it was just for a short time. For her to consider there her home now was more then anything he could ever dream of.

He reached out to her, holding the side of her cheek against his hand as he looked into her deep eyes. "Corellia?" he asked softly, almost craving her confirmation to assure him that somehow he wasn't dreaming all of this.

She nodded before leaning close to kiss him, an affirmation to the answers he sought. Corellia.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _Well, that's the end of this story. This started out as a little one shot moment post "Second Star to Left" and somehow morphed into a 16 chapter story, something I hadn't planned on happening but it did! This is the longest thing I've ever written/posted and it's been a journey, that's for sure. It's a little bittersweet ending this and while it is quite tempting to keep going and expand on what life for them is like post-Alliance, I will just leave this here for now. Thank you to everyone who has read it, favorite/followed and especially to those of you who reviewed! I hope you all enjoyed it._


End file.
